Status: 07.06.2022 6:25 p.m
Imvanex from Bavarian Nordic is the only vaccine in the world that is already approved for vaccination against monkeypox in at least some countries. The global interest is “overwhelming,” the company said.
The demand for the world’s only approved vaccine against monkeypox is according to the manufacturer Bavarian Nordic increased strongly. Interest from governments around the world in the vaccine is “overwhelming,” said the biotech’s chief financial officer, Henrik Juuel. The company expects more orders for its smallpox vaccine Imvanex, Juuel said. It is becoming apparent that several contracts could be converted into longer-term ones.
The federal government has already ordered the vaccine from Bavarian Nordic. According to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, around 40,000 vaccine doses could still be delivered in June and another 200,000 in the course of the second half of the year.
Talks about EU approval as vaccine against monkeypox
Imvanex has been approved as a smallpox vaccine in the EU since 2013. The vaccine is better tolerated than older smallpox vaccines and can be used in people aged 18 and over. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is in talks with Bavarian Nordic about expanding the approval of the smallpox vaccine to include monkeypox. The vaccine has already been approved for smallpox and monkeypox in the United States and Canada.
Bavarian Nordic is headquartered in Denmark, where production also takes place. However, the vector vaccine was developed in the German branch in Martinsried near Munich.
Efficacy against monkeypox
The causative agent of monkeypox comes from the same family as the smallpox virus. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), smallpox vaccines are also 85 percent effective against monkeypox.
Around 30 countries have reported outbreaks of the virus so far. More than 900 confirmed or suspected cases have been recorded in Europe so far. The viral disease occurs mainly in west and central Africa and very rarely elsewhere, making the current outbreaks unusual. According to the current status, the WHO does not consider mass vaccination against monkeypox to be necessary.