Bavarian Nordic makes smallpox vaccine deals with US and EU in response to monkeypox outbreak
Today the Denmark-headquartered company announced that the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has ordered 110,000 doses of its MVA-BN smallpox vaccine (Imvanex), which will be made available to EU member states, Norway and Iceland. Deliveries will be completed during the coming months.
The company has already delivered ‘significant quantities’ of the vaccine to some (undisclosed) member states; but the supply to HERA will now create a more integrated and coordinated approach across the region.
Last week, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ordered an additional 500,000 doses of the liquid-frozen vaccine (which is called Jynneos in the country) for delivery in 2022.
With the previous order from BARDA for 1.4 million doses of Jynneos, awarded in 2020, this order will bring the total US inventory of the vaccine to nearly 2 million doses.
The US and Bavarian Nordic have worked together on the development, manufacturing and supply of a smallpox vaccine since 2003, gaining approval for both smallpox and monkeypox indication in 2019 (it is the only vaccine with a monkeypox indication). BARDA has supported the development of a freeze-dried version of the vaccine with longer shelf-life and awarded a 10 year contract to Bavarian Nordic in 2017: collectively covering 13 million doses for future delivery.
Bavarian Nordic has also signed orders with Canada (a five-year contract worth around $56m) and a series of undislosed governments.
As a result, it has raised its expectations for the financial results of 2022 with revenue now expected to be between DKK 1,900m and 2,100m ($266m - $294m). Prior to the orders, its financial expectations for the year were DKK 1,300 and 1,500m ($182m - $210m).
