Gavi Signs Agreement with Bavarian Nordic to Rapidly Secure 500,000
Doses of Mpox Vaccines for Africa
- The advance purchase agreement (APA) will be funded by Gavi’s
First Response Fund, a mechanism created after the COVID-19
pandemic to ensure rapid access to scarce vaccine supplies in
future health emergencies.
- Availability of all 500,000 doses has been secured for
2024.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark and GENEVA,
Switzerland, September 18, 2024 – Bavarian Nordic A/S
(OMX: BAVA) and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today announced an
advance purchase agreement (APA) to secure 500,000 doses of the
MVA-BN® mpox vaccine (marketed as JYNNEOS® or
IMVANEX®) to be supplied to countries in Africa impacted
by the mpox outbreak. The doses will be for delivery in 2024.
The vaccines will be funded by Gavi’s First
Response Fund, a new financial mechanism created in June 2024 to
make cash rapidly available to purchase vaccines in health
emergencies.
The MVA-BN vaccine received prequalification
from the WHO on September 13, and Bavarian Nordic will be ready to
supply the vaccines pending the signing of a supply agreement with
UNICEF, Gavi’s alliance partner, which will be delivering these
doses.
“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, said: “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 the 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.”
In addition to activating the First Response
Fund, approved by the Gavi Board in June, Gavi moved rapidly to
trigger the mechanism following the declaration of mpox as a
public health emergency and unlocked emergency funding for affected
countries to begin preparations for vaccine rollout, such as
training of healthcare workers and community engagement and is
working with donors and partners to help facilitate dose donations.
Medium- and longer-term measures in place that are expected to be
supportive of the mpox response include authorisation from
Gavi’s Board, contingent on donor funding for Gavi’s next strategic
period, to establish a stockpile of mpox vaccines for use in future
outbreaks, and with an even longer horizon, to contribute to the
establishment of a sustainable vaccine manufacturing industry in
Africa through the African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which
was also launched in June.
This APA follows the delivery into the DRC of
over a quarter of a million doses of Bavarian Nordic vaccines
donated by other nations and Bavarian Nordic. The doses will be
allocated to those most in need as per WHO’s Access and Allocation
Mechanism, published on September 13.
About the mpox vaccine
MVA-BN or Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic is the only
non-replicating mpox vaccine approved in the U.S., Switzerland and
Singapore (marketed as JYNNEOS®), Canada (marketed as
IMVAMUNE®), and the EU/EAA and United Kingdom (marketed
as IMVANEX®). Originally developed as a smallpox vaccine
in collaboration with the U.S. government to ensure the supply of a
smallpox vaccine for the entire population, including
immunocompromised individuals who are not recommended vaccination
with traditional replicating smallpox vaccines, MVA-BN has been
indicated for use in the general adult population in individuals
considered at risk for smallpox or mpox infection.
Supported by data from a clinical study,
conducted by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bavarian
Nordic has recently filed a submission to the European Medicines
Agency to extend the approval to adolescents 12-17 years of age and
is also working with partners, including the Coalition for Epidemic
Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to evaluate the safety and efficacy
of the vaccine in children 2-12 years of age.
Bavarian Nordic has been a long-term supplier of
the vaccine to national stockpiles, and during the 2022-2023 mpox
outbreak, the Company supported governments and supranational
organizations by expanding access to the vaccine to more than 70
countries worldwide.
About Bavarian Nordic
Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated vaccine company with a
mission to protect and save lives through innovative vaccines. We
are a global leader in smallpox and mpox vaccines, supplied to
governments to enhance public health preparedness and have a strong
portfolio of vaccines for travelers and endemic diseases. For more
information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com.
About Gavi, the Vaccine
Alliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that
helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of
the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings
together developing country and donor governments, the World Health
Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry,
technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of
donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s
work here.
Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to
immunise a whole generation – over 1 billion children – and
prevented more than 17.3 million future deaths, helping to halve
child mortality in 78 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key
role in improving global health security by supporting health
systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera,
meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of
progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation,
above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a
single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative
finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to
save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help
countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at
www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and X (Twitter)
Forward-looking statements
This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve
risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside
of our control, that could cause actual results to differ
materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements include statements
concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance
and/or other information that is not historical information. All
such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these
cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may
accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements
to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made,
except as required by law.
Contacts
Europe: Rolf Sass Sørensen, Vice President Investor Relations,
rss@bavarian-nordic.com, Tel: +45 61 77 47 43
US: Graham Morrell, Paddock Circle Advisors,
graham@paddockcircle.com, Tel: +1 781 686 9600
Company Announcement no. 31 / 2024
Gavi Media contacts:
Meg Sharafudeen, msharafudeen@gavi.org ,+41 79 711 55 54
Eunice Kilonzo-Muraya, ekilonzo@gavi.org , +41 76 424 85 03
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