The company “Bavarian Nordic”, which manufactures the only licensed vaccine for monkeypox, is not sure whether it can meet demand as infections continue to rise around the world, one of its managers, Rolf Sass Sorensen, said.
The Danish company is studying the possibility of subcontracting production to other companies. “It is a very dynamic market situation,” Sorensen said. “Demand keeps rising, and it’s no longer certain that we can continue to meet the demand we’re facing, even with the upgrade of our existing manufacturing site in Denmark.”
Sorensen said Bavarian Nordic was examining the possibility of a technology transfer to a US-based manufacturer to increase production.
Bavarian Nordic produces 30 million doses a year of the Jynneos/Imvanex vaccine, developed against smallpox but also effective against monkeypox. Belgium has ordered 30,000 additional doses bilaterally from Bavarian Nordic, which should deliver them, in principle, in the fourth quarter of this year.