MVA-BN, a vaccine for mpox (monkeypox) and smallpox, is sold under the name Jynneos in the US and Imvanex in Europe. Bavarian Nordic, the company behind this vaccine, is working to get it approved for children aged 2 to 11. To support this, they have started a Phase II trial to compare the vaccine’s safety and immune response in children versus adults. This trial is partly funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).
The company plans to recruit participants from the Democratic Republic of Congo and possibly Uganda, where mpox has been spreading. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global health emergency due to its spread in these regions.
MVA-BN is a non-replicating vaccine, meaning it doesn’t reproduce in the body. In Europe, it was recently approved for use in adolescents over 12. Bavarian Nordic also made an agreement to supply 500,000 doses to African countries. While this trial is the first to test MVA-BN in young children for mpox and smallpox, a related vaccine, Mvabea, was already approved in 2020 for preventing Ebola in children over one year old.
Dr. Nicole Lurie from CEPI emphasized the importance of this study in developing vaccine strategies to protect children from mpox and manage future outbreaks.
Bavarian Nordic has earned significant revenue from this vaccine, amounting to approximately $724 million last year. Additionally, Moderna is developing another mpox vaccine using mRNA technology, which is currently in early-stage trials.
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