Monkeypox Vaccine Shipments Slowly Increase

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced yesterday it had shipped 771,473 vials of the monkeypox prevention vaccine Jynneos® (MVA-BN, IMVANEX®).

This ASPA data indicates about 3,200 Jynneos vaccines have been distributed to U.S. states and territories since August 24, 2022.

To increase the long-term access to Jynneos vaccines in the U.S., HHS confirmed on August 29, 2022, that it had ordered 5.5 million vials of JYNNEOS from Bavarian Nordic to be filled, finished, and delivered from U.S. government-owned bulk vaccine stored in Denmark, bringing the U.S. government supply to approximately 7 million vials by mid-2023.

Furthermore, HHS announced yesterday it would provide approximately $11 million to support the Michigan-based fill and finish manufacturing of Jynneos.

And to better utilize existing inventory, the U.S. FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization on August 9, 2022, empowering healthcare providers to use an alternative dosing regimen to expand the total number of doses available for each vial by up to five-fold. 

The U.S. began offering Jynneos vaccines to healthcare staff in Boston on May 24, 2022, followed by vaccination services in New York City and Washington, DC. 

Jynneos is the only U.S. FDA-approved monkeypox vaccine for U.S. military and civilian use, but it is not sold commercially. 

It offers the best protection against the monkeypox virus about ten days following the second dose.

As of August 30, 2022, the U.S. CDC says there is no data on administering the Jynneos vaccine simultaneously as other vaccines.

Additional monkeypox and smallpox vaccine news is posted at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Monkeypox. This information has been curated for mobile readership.