On the same day Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared a public health emergency amid mpox outbreaks on the continent, Bavarian Nordic said it would donate 40,000 doses of its vaccine to the agency to combat the disease.

The donation will accompany a supply of around 175,420 doses ordered by the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (Hera), meaning a total of 215,420 doses will be sent to the African CDC, as per a 13 August press release.

The African CDC said it would “oversee the equitable distribution of these vaccines, prioritising local needs across the affected member states”, in a statement announcing the public health emergency.

A Bavarian Nordic spokesperson told Pharmaceutical Technology the company has “doses on stock ready to be delivered as soon as we get a request from HERA”. HERA said it will also grant €3.5m to Africa CDC to help expand access to mpox diagnostics and sequencing later this year.

At least 13 countries in Africa have reported mpox outbreaks, with a total of 2,863 confirmed cases and 517 deaths. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR) has been the worst affected country. Outbreaks in Africa have been exacerbated by higher rates of HIV – people with the immunocompromising virus are at increased risk of severe mpox.

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can lead to painful rashes, enlarged lymph nodes, and a fever. Usually, those infected make a full recovery, but it can be fatal in certain situations.

Whilst the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern due to mpox in 2022, Africa CDC’s Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya stated the continent “did not receive the support it urgently needed during this period” and escalating cases were “largely ignored”.

In a webinar yesterday [13 August], Kaseya added that the agency has plans to secure around ten million doses to curb the disease outbreak this year.

Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN is the only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA)-approved vaccine for mpox. It is also known under the brand names Jynneos and Imvamune. The vaccine nearly tripled its sales last year from 2022, generating $730m. The revenues came from contracts with various governments and the product was a main driver of the company’s growth last year. The US Government, for example, has been replenishing its vaccine stockpile after much of it was used in the 2022 outbreak. Bavarian Nordic said the HERA order would have no impact on its overall guidance for 2024.

While the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DCR) and Nigeria have granted Emergency Use Authorization for the MVA-BN vaccine, Bavarian Nordic said it was requested last week by the WHO to submit an Expression of Interest for Emergency Use Listing (EUL) of the vaccine. This could accelerate its accessibility to African countries where national regulatory approvals are not yet in place.

European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides said: “Health security threats know no borders and today, thanks to the collaboration between the European Commission, Africa Centre for Disease Control, and Bavarian Nordic, we make 215,000 vaccines available to protect the most vulnerable in countries affected by the outbreak of mpox in Africa.”