Mpox is a viral infection with symptoms including rash and fever, and spreads through contact with body fluids, skin lesions and contaminated materials such as clothes and needles. While the disease is considered endemic to countries central and west Africa, an outbreak went global in 2022 and was declared as a PHEIC until it declined last year.
The latest outbreak involves a new clade of the mpox virus called 1b and has led to more than 15000 cases and 500 deaths, already more than last year. The WHO has tracked the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries including Kenya and Uganda and warns that the infection could spread around the world. For this reason, the WHO is calling for mpox vaccines and other measures to combat the outbreak.
To assist in this latest outbreak, Bavarian Nordic expects to ramp up the production of its approved mpox vaccine Jynneos (marketed as Imvanex in the EU). As a result, the manufacturer expects to have the capacity to manufacture 10 million doses of its mpox vaccine by the end of 2025 and is coordinating its efforts with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
“It would appear that mpox will remain a constant threat to public health,” said Bavarian Nordic in a public release, adding that the vaccine producer is “working closely with the Africa CDC to further expand the manufacturing capacity to produce the mpox vaccine in Africa though transfer of technology to selected African manufacturers.”
Fighting the outbreak
Jynneos is approved for the prevention of smallpox and mpox in adults over the age of 18. It consists of weakened forms of the live virus and is usually administered in 2 doses. The developer is now working to get the vaccine approved for use in younger patients, with clinical data from a previous trial in adolescents submitted to the European Medicines Agency and an upcoming clinical trial in children from 2-12 years of age.
To rally a response to the mpox outbreak, the WHO expects to need $15 million immediately to support its surveillance, preparedness and response activities, and has called for donations. The organization has already released $1.45 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and hasn’t ruled out releasing more in the coming days, according to its announcement.
