Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have announced an advance purchase agreement (APA) to secure 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine (known as JYNNEOS or IMVANEX) for African countries affected by the mpox outbreak.
These doses, set to be delivered in 2024, will be financed through Gavi’s new First Response Fund, established in June 2024 to quickly allocate funds for vaccine purchases during health crises.
The MVA-BN vaccine received WHO prequalification on September 13, and Bavarian Nordic will be prepared to supply the doses once a supply agreement with UNICEF, Gavi’s partner, is signed.
“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, takes us a long way towards our goal of protecting those most at risk,” said Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
“We are committed to working with affected governments and our partners to turn these vaccines into vaccinations as quickly and effectively as possible and, over time, to build a global vaccine stockpile if sufficient funding is secured for Gavi’s work through 2030. We thank our donors for enabling us to act rapidly by committing funds to the First Response Fund before an emergency occurred.”
Paul Chaplin, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic, noted: “We are pleased to sign this agreement and strengthen our commitment to support Gavi and other global health partners, who have demonstrated strong leadership in making life-saving vaccines available for vulnerable populations in developing countries for decades. 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 has proven highly effective during the global mpox outbreak in 2022.”
Alongside activating the First Response Fund approved by the Gavi Board in June, Gavi quickly initiated the mechanism after mpox was declared a public health emergency.
Gavi released emergency funding to help affected countries prepare for vaccine distribution, which includes training healthcare workers and engaging communities, while also collaborating with donors and partners to facilitate vaccine donations.
For medium- and long-term support in the mpox response, Gavi’s Board has authorized, pending donor funding, the creation of a stockpile of mpox vaccines for future outbreaks.
Furthermore, Gavi aims to foster a sustainable vaccine manufacturing industry in Africa through the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, launched in June.
This APA comes after more than 250,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic vaccines were delivered to the DRC, donated by other countries and Bavarian Nordic. The doses will be distributed to those most in need according to WHO’s Access and Allocation Mechanism, released on September 13.
 and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have announced an advance purchase agreement (APA) to secure 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine (known as JYNNEOS or IMVANEX) for African countries affected by the mpox outbreak.){kind=link}