US will make monkeypox vaccine to expedite delivery

An agreement between the Danish manufacturer of the only U.S. approved monkeypox vaccine and a Michigan-based company would move the final packaging steps to the U.S. in an effort to expedite the delivery of millions of doses.

 

Company and administration health officials on Thursday announced Denmark-based Bavarian Nordic entered into an agreement with U.S.-based contract manufacturer Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing.

 

The priority will be to fill and package 2.5 million vials of the Jynneos vaccine that were ordered by the Biden administration in July. Jynneos is the only monkeypox vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

 

Officials said in a statement that the technology transfer of the production process from Bavarian Nordic to Grand River has already been initiated, with the aim of completing it within three months.

• The process could normally take up to nine months, health officials said.
• “This partnership between Bavarian Nordic and GRAM will significantly increase the capacity to fill and finish government-owned doses – for the first time in the U.S. – and allow us to deliver our current and future supply more quickly to locations nationwide,” White House monkeypox response coordinator Bob Fenton said in a statement.