Gavi orders million Mpox vaccine doses from Bavarian Nordic

• The WHO approved the vaccine for use last Friday.
• Gavi’s purchase could accelerate the response in Congo and other affected countries.
• The deal will significantly increase the availability of the mpox vaccine for African countries.

On Wednesday, Gavi, the global vaccine group, announced it will purchase 500,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine. This marks Gavi’s first acquisition of the vaccine to aid in combating an outbreak in parts of Africa. According to the World Health Organization, Africa has reported over 25,000 suspected mpox cases and 723 deaths in 2024, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO has declared this outbreak a global health emergency.

Gavi, a public-private alliance that co-funds vaccine purchases for low-income countries, announced it will invest up to $50 million in the plan. This amount covers the transportation, delivery, and administration costs of the vaccines. The doses are scheduled for delivery later this year.

The World Health Organization reported that rich nations with stockpiles have already pledged around 3.6 million doses of the mpox vaccine to the DRC, but only a small portion has arrived so far. The WHO approved the vaccine for use last Friday.

Gavi’s purchase, made through a new facility established after the COVID-19 pandemic to respond swiftly to public health emergencies, could accelerate the response in Congo and other affected countries.

On Wednesday, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced it will provide $9.5 million to support Congo’s emergency response, following a request from the government. This funding will cover surveillance, laboratory systems, and risk communication.

The price of the vaccine remains undisclosed. Gavi’s $50 million investment likely equates to less than around $100 per vaccine, as the total includes transportation and logistics. This figure is lower than previous cost estimates.

Gavi chief executive Sania Nishtar said the priority was working with partners “to turn these vaccines into vaccinations as quickly and effectively as possible and, over time, to build a global vaccine stockpile.”

Bavarian Nordic Chief Executive Paul Chaplin stated that the deal will significantly increase the availability of the mpox vaccine for African countries. Last week, the company announced it would delay some existing orders to 2025, due to US government contracts, in order to prioritize current market needs.

Mpox, which spreads through close contact and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, has been a public health issue in parts of Africa for decades. However, vaccines have never been available outside clinical trials in affected African countries. This remained the case even after a different strain of the virus spread globally in 2022, with high-income countries using vaccines to help control the outbreak.

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