Vaccine Doses for Global Emergency Stockpile

The company announced on October 27, 2026, that it would donate 75,000 doses of its MVA-BN vaccine and supply another 150,000 under a newly awarded contract. The announcement did not disclose the contract’s value or specify when the doses would become available.

The reserve aims to address a recurring problem in international outbreak response: getting vaccines to people at risk quickly, including in countries with limited resources to purchase them. Securing doses in advance is intended to make supplies more predictable when an emergency strikes.

A Shared Reserve for Outbreak Response

Launched on August 27, 2026, the stockpile initiative receives initial funding from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. It is managed by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG), a mechanism hosted by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The group brings together WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Médecins Sans Frontières to coordinate emergency vaccine allocation and distribution. The initiative builds on the mpox vaccine allocation mechanism established during the international health emergency in 2024.

Any country can apply for doses. Experts assess requests against the outbreak situation, the proposed vaccination strategy and the number of doses needed. Countries eligible for Gavi support receive vaccines free of charge and may also receive funding to carry out vaccination campaigns. Other countries must reimburse the vaccine costs, with Gavi providing financing upfront to prevent delays.

Addressing Gaps in Vaccine Access

Gavi says the reserve addresses inequalities exposed during the 2022 mpox outbreak, when lower-income countries struggled to obtain vaccines. The shared stockpile is intended to give countries a more reliable route to emergency supplies, with allocation guided by public health needs.

The need extends across regions. Between January 1, 2022, and July 31, 2026, WHO reported 190,683 confirmed mpox cases and 529 deaths across 145 countries and territories.

Mpox spreads mainly through close physical contact and can cause severe illness, particularly in children and people with weakened immune systems. Vaccination helps protect people at risk and contain outbreaks before they spread further.

Bavarian Nordic already supplies smallpox and mpox vaccines to national emergency reserves. Its MVA-BN vaccine is marketed as Jynneos in the United States and Imvanex in the European Union. The latest agreement adds both purchased and donated doses to the coordinated international response.