Bavarian Nordic Receives $120M HHS Contract for Smallpox/Mpox Vax

Bavarian Nordic reported that the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has placed a new order valued at $120 million, primarily covering the manufacturing of new bulk product for the company’s smallpox/mpox vaccine.

The bulk product, representing $96 million of the contract value, will be manufactured, and invoiced in 2023 and will only partly restore the inventory, which was used to manufacture vaccines in response to the mpox outbreak in 2022.

Nearly 5.5 million doses have been manufactured for the U.S. government over the course of 2022 and 2023, and replenishment of the bulk inventory is necessary to fulfil the company’s long-term commitment to deliver a freeze-dried version of the vaccine for U.S. smallpox preparedness.

In addition, Bavarian Nordic will manufacture and supply additional liquid-frozen doses of the vaccine in 2023, valued at $3 million. The agreement includes services totaling $21 million, of which the majority will be received in 2024 and 2025.

Paul Chaplin, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic said, “The U.S. government’s foresight enabled us last year to rapidly respond to the global mpox outbreak by converting readily available bulk product into final vaccine doses. Together with our U.S. manufacturing partner, we have completed the manufacturing of all doses ordered by the U.S. government during the mpox outbreak. However, maintaining the readiness to respond to future health crises is essential, and this new contract will enable us to deliver on the contract for a freeze-dried version of the vaccine, awarded to us by the U.S. government back in 2017, which aims to strengthen the nation’s preparedness against smallpox.”