Geneva: Bavarian Nordic and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, announced the signing of an advance purchase agreement (APA) to secure 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine (marketed as JYNNEOS or IMVANEX) for African countries impacted by the Mpox outbreak.
Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine has received prequalification from the WHO, and the company will supply the vaccines pending a supply agreement with UNICEF, Gavi’s alliance partner, which will handle the delivery of these doses, according to the release.
This APA follows the delivery of over a quarter of a million doses of Bavarian Nordic vaccines to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), donated by other nations and Bavarian Nordic. The doses will be distributed to those most in need, based on WHO’s Access and Allocation Mechanism, published on September 13, the release added.
“The First Response Fund was designed in collaboration with Gavi donors and partners specifically to provide rapid early funding for emergencies such as Mpox. Using it today to fund the first direct transaction for vaccines in support of equitable access and the global response, just over a month since Mpox was declared a public health emergency, brings us closer to our goal of protecting those most at risk,” said Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi.
“The doses secured through this agreement will significantly increase the availability of mpox vaccines for African countries, and we are pleased that Gavi has selected our MVA-BN vaccine, which proved highly effective during the global mpox outbreak in 2022,” added Paul Chaplin, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic.
Gavi informed that the vaccines will be funded by its First Response Fund (FRF), a new financial mechanism created in June 2024 to make funds rapidly available for purchasing vaccines during health emergencies.
Additionally, Gavi is seeking donor funding for its next strategic period to establish a stockpile of mpox vaccines for future outbreaks. In the longer term, it aims to contribute to the establishment of a sustainable vaccine manufacturing industry in Africa through the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, launched in June.
