Bavarian Nordic Receives Positive CHMP Opinion on the Extension of Vaccine Label to Include Monkeypox
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, July 22, 2022 – Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending that the marketing authorization for the Company’s smallpox vaccine, IMVANEX®, is extended to include protecting people from monkeypox disease.
Data supporting the positive opinion was submitted upon request from EMA’s Emergency Task Force (ETF) in light of the current multi-country monkeypox outbreak.
The recommendation from the CHMP will be referred to the European Commission (EC) for final approval shortly. Once granted by the EC, the extended marketing authorization will be valid in all European Union Member States as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Paul Chaplin, President, and CEO of Bavarian Nordic said: “We applaud the expedited review by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use and the recommendation to extend the approval of our vaccine to include protection against monkeypox, thus aligning with the approvals from the US FDA and Health Canada. While we have already supplied our vaccine to many European countries during the current monkeypox outbreak, including supplies to the joint EU stockpile facilitated by the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), the extension of the label will help to improve access to the vaccine throughout Europe and strengthen the future preparedness against monkeypox.”
About IMVANEX®
IMVANEX® (MVA-BN or Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic) is a non-replicating smallpox vaccine developed in collaboration with the U.S. government to ensure supply of a smallpox vaccine for the entire population, including immunocompromised individuals who are not recommended vaccination with traditional replicating smallpox vaccines. The vaccine was approved by the European Commission in 2013 for immunization against smallpox in adults aged 18 years and older and has subsequently gained regulatory approvals in Canada (marketed as IMVAMUNE®) and the U.S. (marketed as JYNNEOS®) where the approvals have been extended to include the monkeypox indication as the only vaccine having obtained this to-date.
Bavarian Nordic has ongoing supply contracts with USA and Canada and has delivered the vaccine to a number of undisclosed countries globally as part of their national biological preparedness. In recent years, smaller quantities of the vaccine have been supplied in response to sporadic cases of monkeypox. During the ongoing 2022 outbreak of monkeypox, Bavarian Nordic has worked with several governments to fulfil the immediate demand for the vaccine through a number of supply agreements and is working to secure manufacturing of vaccines to fulfil the demand in the medium- to long term.
About Bavarian Nordic
Bavarian Nordic is a fully integrated vaccines company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of life-saving vaccines. We are a global leader in smallpox vaccines and have been a long-term supplier to the U.S. Government of a non-replicating smallpox vaccine, which has been approved by the FDA, also for the protection against monkeypox. The vaccine is also approved for protection against smallpox and monkeypox in Canada, and as a smallpox vaccine in Europe. Our commercial product portfolio furthermore contains market-leading vaccines against rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Using our live virus vaccine platform technology, MVA-BN®, we have created a diverse portfolio of proprietary and partnered product candidates designed to save and improve lives by unlocking the power of the immune system, including an Ebola vaccine, which is licensed to the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. We are also committed to the development of a next generation COVID-19 vaccine. For more information visit www.bavarian-nordic.com.
Forward-looking statements
This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law.
Contacts
Europe: Rolf Sass Sørensen, Vice President Investor Relations, Tel: +45 61 77 47 43
US: Graham Morrell, Paddock Circle Advisors, graham@paddockcircle.com, Tel: +1 781 686 9600
Company Announcement no. 29 / 2022