Words by Jade Williams
Bavarian Nordic, sole provider of the approved mpox vaccine in both the US and Europe, has entered into a significant agreement to manufacture 440,000 additional doses of its vaccine in response to the escalating mpox outbreak.
The biotech’s doses of its smallpox/mpox vaccine will be heading to an as yet undisclosed European nation, underscoring the heightened global emphasis on preparedness against viral outbreaks – now that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global public health emergency.
Paul Chaplin, CEO, Bavarian Nordic, emphasised the strategic importance of this order, particularly in light of the 2022 outbreak of mpox. Speaking in a press release, Chaplin reinforced that “since the last mpox outbreak in 2022/23 Bavarian Nordic has established a strong strategic partnership with a number of authorities that have recognised the need to improve their preparedness against smallpox and mpox,” later confirming that the company “can still supply up to 10m doses of our smallpox and mpox vaccine by the end of next year”.
2m doses of this capacity are set to become available during the remaining part of 2024. The company is additionally broadening its production network with plans to establish facilities in Africa, ensuring broader accessibility to the vaccine across all regions.
In the week prior to this, the WHO made an urgent call to pharmaceutical companies producing mpox vaccines to submit an expression of interest for Emergency Use Listing.
Since January 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported over 27,000 mpox cases, with more than 1,100 associated deaths – further underscoring the urgent need for widespread vaccination efforts.
