UNICEF has signed an agreement that secures supply of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine at the lowest market price and ensures access to the vaccine for 77 low- and lower-middle-income countries. This marks a major milestone in efforts to meet the demand for more affordable vaccines as part of an integrated response to the rising mpox crisis, while also paving the way for sustained vaccine access in 2025. The agreement is an outcome of the emergency tender issued by UNICEF on 29 August and follows the World Health Organization (WHO)'s prequalification of the MVA-BN mpox vaccine on 13 September.
The tender was launched two weeks after mpox was declared a public health emergency on 14 August, in collaboration with Africa CDC, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO, the Pan American Health Organization, and other partners. In the agreement, UNICEF has negotiated a price of up to US$65 per vaccine dose, the lowest price in the market. The agreement also ensures vaccine access for 77 low- and lower-middle-income countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries at the frontlines of the crisis.
Under the emergency tender, UNICEF is reviewing additional proposals with a view to ensuring a long-term, diversified and secured supply of mpox vaccines from more than one manufacturer at the best possible price, and with the same price transparency principles. UNICEF is also assessing the evolving vaccine demand beyond the current acute outbreak requirements. The deal incl.
