On November 17, 2022 Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) reportes the signing of a joint procurement agreement with HERA, the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority for the supply of up to 2 million doses of the Company’s MVA-BN monkeypox vaccine during 2023 and 2024 (Press release, Bavarian Nordic, NOV 17, 2022, View Source [SID1234624212]).
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The joint procurement agreement allows EU Member States and additional countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) as well as Western Balkan countries to purchase Bavarian Nordic’s monkeypox vaccine. So far, 14 eligible countries have already confirmed their participation in the joint procurement, indicating an initial demand of a total of approximately 700,000 doses for delivery in 2023 under the framework contract.
Since June 2022, HERA has purchased more than 330,000 doses of the vaccine which are being distributed to EU Member States throughout 2022 in response to the current monkeypox outbreak. The likelihood of monkeypox spreading further in at-risk communities is still high and the new joint procurement agreement will ensure that countries remain prepared to tackle the outbreak beyond this year.
Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic said: "We are pleased to strengthen our collaboration with the EU authorities and others on securing the continued preparedness against monkeypox across Europe. While more and more countries have started to recognize the need for building a stockpile for the longer term, most EU Member States continue to rely on the availability of the vaccine through HERA, and this joint procurement agreement will help to reinforce the response across the entire region."
About HERA
The European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) was established by the European Commission in September 2021 with the purpose to strengthen Europe’s ability to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to cross-border health emergencies, by ensuring the development, manufacturing, procurement, and equitable distribution of key medical countermeasures.
About the monkeypox vaccine
MVA-BN or Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (marketed as IMVANEX in Europe, JYNNEOS in the U.S. and IMVAMUNE in Canada) is a non-replicating smallpox vaccine developed in collaboration with the U.S. government to ensure supply of a smallpox vaccine for the entire population, including immunocompromised individuals who are not recommended vaccination with traditional replicating smallpox vaccines. In addition to smallpox, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and the European Commission have also approved the vaccine for use against monkeypox as the only vaccine having obtained this to-date.
Bavarian Nordic has ongoing supply contracts with USA and Canada and has delivered the vaccine to a number of undisclosed countries globally as part of their national biological preparedness. During the ongoing 2022 outbreak of monkeypox, Bavarian Nordic has worked with multiple governments and supranational organizations to ensure rapid access to the vaccine in more than 70 countries to-date and is working to expand its manufacturing capacity to fulfil the global demand in the medium- to long term.