CDC panel recommends Bavarian Nordic’s mpox vaccine for all adults at risk

(Reuters) – Advisers to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday voted in favor of use of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine for all adults at risk of mpox during an outbreak.     

The panel of outside experts voted unanimously in favor of use of two doses of the vaccine, and finalizing the interim guidelines provided by CDC during the mpox outbreak in the United States.

The recommendation of the committee is based on studies that showed vaccine effectiveness of 66%-83% for patients with full vaccination and 36%-86% for partial vaccination with no severe adverse affect.

The intradermal injection of Jynneos – that is between the layers of skin – is the preferred form of administration for adults during the outbreak, but is also approved as a subcutaneous injection, or below the skin.

The panel’s recommendation will give Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine an edge over Emergent BioSolutions’ smallpox vaccine, which last year received approval for expanded use during mpox outbreak but its use has been largely limited owing to severe side-effects.

Mpox which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions, remains a public health emergency of international concern as World Health Organization earlier this month retained its highest level of alert for the disease citing continued transmission in some countries.

In the United States, more than 29,000 cases of mpox were reported last year, including two deaths, according to government data.