In the latest of several recent mpox vaccine supply deals, Bavarian Nordic plans to provide 1 million doses of its shot, Jynneos, to affected African countries through an agreement with UNICEF.
The total dose count includes 500,000 doses that had been purchased in an agreement reached earlier this month with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which counts UNICEF as a "core partner."
All of the doses will be produced before the end of 2024 and quickly delivered upon request, the company said in a Thursday release.
“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,” CEO Paul Chaplin said in a statement.
With the UNICEF deal, more than 2.5 million doses of the vaccine have been secured through various supply arrangements. The company said it will continue to work with partners to ensure vaccine availability beyond 2024.
With the new deal, Bavarian Nordic has boosted its full-year revenue guidance to a range of DKK 5.4 billion ($810 million) to DKK 5.8 billion ($870 million). Previously, the company provided a forecast of DKK 5.3 billion ($795 million).
Last month, Bavarian Nordic said it has the capacity to produce 13 million doses of its mpox vaccine by the end of 2025, including up to 2 million this year. Still, the company “continues to explore additional levers that could further expand the capacity,” including transferring its manufacturing know-how to other drugmakers around the world.
The WHO recently granted BN's Jynneos (branded as Imvanex in Europe) a prequalification that allows governments and aid organizations to procure and distribute doses in African countries. Jynneos is the first mpox vaccine to be added to the WHO's prequalification list.
Meanwhile, Emergent BioSolutions’ ACAM2000 recently scored FDA approval for mpox, and the company is busy with its own efforts to produce doses.