Monkeypox Vaccine maker signs agreement with WHO for Latin America
The Danish laboratory producing the only authorized vaccine against Monkeypox announced on Wednesday, August 24 an agreement with the World Health Organization to facilitate its distribution in Latin American and Caribbean countries.
“Vaccine deliveries are expected to begin in September,” indicates the Bavarian Nordic laboratory, which is currently seeking to boost its production to meet the very high demand around the world.
The agreement signed with the Pan American Health Organization – the WHO regional office for the Americas – aims to “facilitate equitable access to the company’s Monkeypox vaccine in Latin American and Caribbean countries”, explains the Danish laboratory in a press release.
Previously limited to Central and West Africa, Monkeypox has spread since May to other parts of the world including Europe and the United States, with a total of 40,000 cases recorded at the end of August.
Marketed by Bavarian Nordic under the name Jynneos in North America and Imvanex in Europe, it is a vaccine against human smallpox, a deadly disease eradicated in 1980, which is currently used against Monkeypox.
Bavarian Nordic has announced in recent weeks that it has signed agreements to sell additional vaccines in the United States as well as in Europe, but details of all orders are not available.
Last week, the Danish laboratory announced an agreement with the American manufacturer Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM) to strengthen the production of the vaccine, in the face of the risk of shortage.
The start of production is expected by the end of the year, in addition to that of Bavarian Nordic’s Danish factory located in Kvistgaard, north of Copenhagen.
Monkeypox, which was previously only endemic in a few African countries, is characterized by rashes – which can appear on the genitals or in the mouth – and can be accompanied by bouts of fever, throat or pain in the lymph nodes.
In most cases, the sufferers are men who have sex with men (MSM), including relatively young gay and bi men, but the WHO has strongly warned against stigmatizing sufferers or thinking that only MSM would be affected.
