Copenhagen: Bavarian Nordic said on Thursday it could supply 13 million doses of its mpox vaccine by the end of 2025, up from an earlier forecast of 10 million doses, and is exploring options to significantly expand its capacity.
The Danish biotech company said it has also identified measures that could boost supply by a further 50 million doses over the next 12-18 months, subject to regulatory approvals and market demand.
“It depends first and foremost on demand. If the demand is there and the other conditions are in place, we have the opportunity to increase another 50 million doses,” said Rolf Saas Sorensen, Bavarian’s head of investor relations.
The World Health Organization declared Mpox a global health emergency last month, but efforts to contain the spread of the disease have been hampered by a lack of a vaccine.
Sorensen said the supply is also dependent on ongoing discussions about collaboration with partners in Africa and elsewhere regarding the transfer of production, along with the adoption of other methods and technologies with higher yields.
“It might help you fill-and-finish,” Sorenson said.
Bavarian said some existing orders for Mpox vaccines based on an agreement with the US government will be pushed back from 2024 to 2025 to meet other market needs.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the recent Mpox outbreak, received its first batch of Mpox vaccines last week.
(Reporting by Louise Brusch Rasmussen and Stine Jacobsen, Editing by Essie Lehto, Terje Solsvik and Christina Fincher)
