The European Commission has granted permission to Danish biotechnology company Bavarian Nordic to market its Imvanex vaccine as protection against Monkeypox.
The approval of vaccine was given after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the rapid spread of monkeypox a global health emergency.
Bavarian’s vaccine has been approved for the treatment of smallpox in the EU, but has already won approval in the US and Canada for the prevention of the monkeypox disease. Reuters reports
“The availability of an approved vaccine can significantly improve nations’ readiness to fight emerging diseases, but only through investments and structured planning of the biological preparedness,” Bavarian Chief Executive Paul Chaplin said.
During the current monkeypox outbreak, the company provided the vaccine to several EU nations for “off-label” use.
According to Bavarian Nordic, the approval is valid in all European Union member countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
Over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries, with four cases in the Southeast Asia region; three in India, and one in Thailand.
