Moderna Seeks Outside Investors to Fund Select Vaccine Trials

Moderna Inc. is in discussions with large drugmakers and financial firms to get funding for some late-stage vaccine trials as it works to develop its product portfolio while cutting costs.

“We are very actively talking to potential partners right now,” Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said Wednesday at the Goldman Sachs Annual Global Healthcare Conference. The discussions are with pharmaceutical companies and other types of financial partners, he said.

Moderna is seeking outside funding for its portfolio of vaccines that protect against viruses that can lay dormant and undetected in the body after an infection, including Epstein-Barr virus and herpes ...