COPENHAGEN - Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, on Thursday pledged to supply a further two million doses of its mpox vaccine by the end of the year.
The announcement comes on the heels of the arrival of the first vaccines to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) -- the epicentre of the epidemic.
"In response to the current outbreak and the strong demand from governments and organizations... the company has prioritised the production" of its vaccine, Bavarian Nordic said in a press release.
Bavarian Nordic has also said it is ready to produce up to 11 million doses of its vaccine, the only one currently licensed in Europe and the United States, by 2025.
According to the latest Congolese Public Health Institute figures, there have been nearly 22,000 cases and 716 deaths linked to the virus recorded since January.
At the end of last month mpox was recorded as present in 14 African countries.
So far, 796 cases have been logged in Burundi, 162 in Congo-Brazzaville and 45 in the Central African Republic, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Some 3.6 million vaccines in total for African countries have been secured, according to the CDC, and first batches are being distributed.
Some 265,000 doses have been flown into Kinshasa in recent days. These vaccines are to be distributed throughout the country, in preparation for a vaccination campaign due to start next month.
Mpox is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can in some cases be deadly.
While the two million additional doses announced by the laboratory "appears to be sufficient to meet the anticipated short- to medium-term demand" the Danish drugmaker "continues to explore additional levers that could further expand the capacity," the company said.
This includes looking at transferring "manufacturing to other companies either in Africa or other parts of the world."
The vaccine is intended for adults only.
As a result of the priority given to the mpox vaccine, Bavarian Nordic will postpone certain other orders that were due to be fulfilled in 2024 to 2025, the company said without providing further detail. - AFP