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First award under UNICEF emergency tender to secure availability of mpox vaccines for Africa
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, September 26, 2024 – Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) today announced an agreement with UNICEF for the supply of 1 million doses of the MVA-BN? mpox vaccine for countries in Africa impacted by the mpox outbreak.
Under the agreement, UNICEF will procure 1 million doses of the vaccine which includes the 500,000 doses that were committed by Gavi and announced on September 18, 2024. As part of Bavarian Nordics commitment to increase and prioritize its production capacity to fulfil the short- and medium-term demand, the Company will make all doses available for supply before the end of 2024 and will work with UNICEF and its partners to swiftly deliver the vaccines upon request.
Paul Chaplin, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said: “The agreement with UNICEF represents a significant contribution to the global efforts to combat the mpox outbreak in Africa and we are proud to assist with making our vaccine rapidly available to help where they are needed. Combined with donations by various governments, institutions and Bavarian Nordic, this agreement has helped to secure more than 2.5 million doses of MVA-BN, thus fulfilling the short-term requirement as expressed by the Africa CDC. This is a huge milestone to achieve within such a short timeframe and we applaud UNICEF, Gavi and their partners along with nations who have contributed with donations for their commitments to make this happen. We will continue our efforts together with partners to secure the necessary availability of vaccines beyond 2024.”
About the mpox vaccine
MVA-BN or Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic is the only non-replicating mpox vaccine approved in the U.S., Switzerland, Singapore and Mexico (marketed as JYNNEOS?), Canada (marketed as IMVAMUNE?), and the EU/EAA and United Kingdom (marketed as IMVANEX?). Originally developed as a smallpox vaccine in collaboration with the U.S. government to ensure the supply of a smallpox vaccine for the entire population, including immunocompromised individuals who are not recommended vaccination with traditional replicating smallpox vaccines, MVA-BN has been indicated for use in the general adult population in individuals considered at risk for smallpox or mpox infection. In the EU/EAA, the vaccine has also been approved for adolescents 12-17 years of age.
Bavarian Nordic has been a long-term supplier of the vaccine to a number of nations, and during the 2022-2023 mpox outbreak, the Company supported governments and supranational organizations by expanding access to the vaccine to more than 70 countries worldwide.