Bavarian Nordic Faces Pressure Over Mpox Vaccine Pricing in Africa

BREAKING NEWSSeptember 11, 2024 at 4:50 PM UTC

TLDR

Bavarian Nordic A/S under pressure to lower prices for mpox vaccine amid talks for millions of doses in Africa.
Initial shipment of 200,000 doses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo set the stage for negotiations aiming for up to 12 million doses by 2025.
High price point of $100 to $141 per dose for Jynneos, Imvamune, and Imvanex vaccines poses challenges for adoption in Africa where most vaccines cost $1 to $3 per dose.

Bavarian Nordic A/S, a Danish company and one of the few manufacturers of an approved mpox vaccine, faces increasing pressure to lower its prices as talks to secure millions of doses for Africa progress.

With initial shipments of 200,000 doses arriving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, negotiations led by agencies like Unicef aim to finalize agreements for up to 12 million doses by 2025 to combat the mpox outbreak.

The vaccine, marketed as Jynneos, Imvamune, and Imvanex, is priced at $100 to $141 per dose—significantly higher than most vaccines used in Africa, which typically cost $1 to $3 per dose. With countries in Africa facing multiple health crises, including cholera and malaria, the high cost remains a significant barrier to widespread adoption.

Key Takeaways

A pricing model used by global vaccine alliance Gavi has previously beaten down the cost of shots by securing large volumes, making it viable for manufacturers and helping ensure products get where they need to be. But at this stage, Bavarian’s mpox jab doesn’t fit that structure. The spread of the new strain of mpox from Congo — where children account for more than 80% of deaths from the disease — has seen the number of cases on the continent increase in nations such as Burundi and Gabon. WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has urged countries stockpiling vaccines to donate.

Healthcare

Economy

Mpox

Bavarian Nordic A/S

Imvanex

Jynneos

Unicef