** Shares of drugmaker Moderna MRNA.O rise 11.7% to $27.56

** Stat News reports, citing a person familiar with the matter, that MRNA has been in talks with at least one large drugmaker "on a deal of significant scope"

** The nature of the potential agreement was not clear, the report said, adding that a buyout or a large partnership was on the table

** Moderna declined to comment on potential deal talks

** The vaccine maker's shares have lost over 90% from its pandemic-era highs, battered by declining COVID revenue as well as political concerns spurred by changes to U.S. vaccine policy under Health Secretary and vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr

** "In unprecedented circumstances, we made a deliberate choice to reinvest in research and development — bringing three products to approval in 2025 alone and advancing a diverse pipeline, including an expanding oncology portfolio," Moderna spokesperson Chris Ridley said in a statement

** Including session gains, stock down ~37% YTD

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru)

((Mariam.ESunny@thomsonreuters.com;))