What started as a strain with most cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now spread to other parts of Africa. It has also recorded its first European case<\/a> in Sweden, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global emergency<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n Mpox, previously called Monkeypox, has proven deadly for hundreds who contracted it, including children, although a bulk of the cases have been mild so far.<\/p>\n Only one company has the cure for it: Bavarian Nordic.\u00a0<\/p>\n When the situation became dire last week, the Danish pharmaceutical giant donated 40,000 doses<\/a> of its mpox vaccine called Imvanex to Africa\u2019s public health body. Regional groups like the European Commission said they would donate 215,000 vaccine dose<\/a>s from their stockpile to the African health authorities.<\/p>\n The drug was approved in 2022 when a health emergency over mpox was declared, and, at the time, the vaccine helped curb the outbreak to a great extent.<\/p>\n There\u2019s still a need for more Imvanex (also called Jynneos) to protect those most vulnerable to a potential mpox infection. Congo, where many of the cases have been recorded, still lacks vaccines entirely.<\/p>\n So, what do we know about Bavarian Nordic and how has it found itself amid the latest global health emergency?<\/p>\n Bavarian Nordic, founded in 1994, is a Copenhagen-based pharma company dedicated to developing vaccines<\/a>, including for Mpox, Typhoid and Rabies.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s the only company that received approval from the European Union, the U.S., and other countries for its mpox vaccine.\u00a0<\/p>\n It began working on its smallpox vaccine, similar to the one used for mpox, back in 2003 with the U.S. government.<\/p>\n Bavarian Nordic has been instrumental in developing and supplying vaccines through other health crises, such as Ebola. For instance, in 2021 the company received a bulk purchase order from Johnson & Johnson\u2019s Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies worth $28 million<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since the mpox outbreak two years ago<\/a>, countries and regional health departments have been building up their supply of the vaccines. The EU purchased 2 million vaccine doses at the time, approved for adult use in smallpox and monkeypox cases as the two viruses are closely related<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The WHO\u2019s declaration of an emergency has caused Bavarian Nordic\u2019s shares to jump over 40%. The company\u2019s shares are up 51% since the start of the year, with its market cap at $3.28 billion.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bavarian Nordic is the latest of a slew of Danish pharma companies that have gained traction recently. Novo Nordisk has seen stratospheric growth<\/a> in the last few years following the popularity of its weight-loss and diabetes medications, Wegovy and Ozempic. Meanwhile, Zealand Pharma has emerged as another challenger<\/a> in the obesity drug market.\u00a0<\/p>\n The collective clout of Denmark\u2019s pharma industry has resulted in strong economic growth<\/a>, even causing its GDP to sway<\/a> with the performance of its drugmakers.\u00a0<\/p>\n COURTESY OF BAVARIAN NORDIC<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As the mpox crisis continues to evolve, Bavarian Nordic said it\u2019s ramping up the pace at which it produces vaccines to improve access. It has further told African health officials that it can offer 2 million doses of the drug this year and 10 million doses<\/a> by the end of 2025, according to a statement released<\/a> by the Danish company on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n It is able to produce millions of doses now because it has prepared an inventory \u201cto provide a surge capacity for potential outbreaks,\u201d it said.\u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s not all\u2014the company has also submitted new data to request approval from the EU to extend Imvanex to adolescents aged 12 to 17 years<\/a>, as the recent bout of cases has impacted younger people. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already granted emergency approval for the vaccine\u2019s use on adolescents.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe latest data that we\u2019ve submitted is really, really important because hopefully it will extend the use of our vaccine down to adolescents,\u201d Bavarian Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin told CNBC<\/em><\/a> last week.<\/p>\nYet another Danish pharma giant<\/h2>\n
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What is Bavarian Nordic\u2019s role now?<\/h2>\n