** Moderna's MRNA.O shares up 3.7% premarket to $35.33 after securing $590 mln from the U.S. to hasten development of its bird flu vaccine

** The award, announced after the bell on Fri, is funded by Department of Health and Human Services as U.S. doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans

** Co said it's preparing to advance its experimental shot, mRNA-1018, into late-stage trials based on preliminary data from an early-to-mid stage study and plans to present the data at an upcoming medical meeting

** The U.S. CDC on Thurs recommended faster testing for bird flu in hospitalized patients, and said that the risk to the general public is low and there has been no further evidence of person to person spread

** Shares of MRNA on Jan 13 fell ~17% to close at $35.15 after co slashed its 2025 sales forecast by $1 bln, hurt by a slow launch of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) shot and weak demand for COVID-19 vaccines

** Through last close on Fri, shares have lost two-thirds of their value over the past year

(Lance Tupper is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)

((lance.tupper@tr.com 1-646-279-6380))