Nordic Seeks Consent For Monkey Pox Vaccine Use In Teens To Cub Spread
Bavarian Nordic, a Danish drugmaker on Friday stated that he is seeking European approval to use its mpox vaccine in children aged 12 to 17, after the WHO declared the current virus surge a global public health emergency.
Recall, earlier this week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the rapid spread of a new, more dangerous mpox strain, dubbed Clade 1b; tagging it a public health emergency of international concern — the highest alarm the UN agency can sound.
However, Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine is currently only approved for people 18 years and older.
In a statement issued by Bavarian Nordic’s chief executive Paul Chaplin read that,
“Children and adolescents are disproportionately affected by mpox in the ongoing outbreak in Africa, highlighting the importance and urgency to broaden the access to vaccines and therapies for this vulnerable population”.
The company said it had presented the European Medicines Agency with clinical data from a study which showed “non-inferiority of immune responses from mpox/smallpox vaccination in adolescents and (a) similar safety profile compared to adults.”
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted the vaccine an “emergency use authorisation” for adolescents during the 2022 global mpox outbreak.
Reports also states that the virus has swept through the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 548 people so far in 2024.
Sweden and Pakistan have this week reported the first cases of the virus outside of Africa, with the WHO warning further imported cases of the new strain in Europe were likely.
What is the cause?
The infectious disease is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by animals but can also spread human-to-human through close physical contact.
It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.
On Thursday, Bavarian Nordic said it was ready to produce 10 million vaccine doses by 2025 but was waiting for countries to place orders.
Picture Credit|Getty Images
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