European Health Union: HERA secures up to 2 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission’s Health Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), has signed a Joint Procurement Framework contract with the company Bavarian Nordic, for the supply of up to 2 million doses of the monkeypox vaccine in the course of 2023 and 2024. This offers 14 participating countries the possibility to purchase doses to address their medium- and long-term needs and build stockpiles. The first deliveries under the joint procurement of the vaccine doses will start in the second quarter of 2023.

The Commission remains focused on preventing monkeypox from becoming endemic in Europe, as outlined in a joint statement by the Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge.

While the Joint Procurement contract signed with Bavarian Nordic intends to meet the middle and long-term needs of participating countries, it complements the work over recent months by HERA and  the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) to procure over 334,000 vaccine doses to cover the  immediate needs of Member States, using EU funds for the first time. This is also in addition to the purchase of over 10,000 doses of tecovirimat, a treatment for monkeypox.

Background

The EU’s mechanism of joint procurement is laid down in the EU’s Joint Procurement Agreement, which is signed by 36 countries. The mechanism allows to jointly procure medical countermeasures as an alternative or complement to procurement at national level.

It secures a more equitable access to specific medical countermeasures and improves the security of supply, together with more balanced prices for the participating EU countries.

When at least 4 of the 36 participating countries are interested to jointly procure a medical countermeasure, HERA may launch the procurement procedure. For the joint purchase of the monkeypox vaccine, announced today, 14 Member States are participating.

HERA continues to work closely with the participating countries to identify and implement priorities, such as vaccines or therapeutics, for joint procurement.

More information

Ensuring the availability of supplies and equipment

Joint procurement of medical countermeasures

Quote(s)

Through a united and decisive response, the EU and its Member States worked together to successfully bring the monkeypox outbreak under control. However, it is still important to remain vigilant, and to be prepared should cases rise again in the future. With this contract, the successful work of HERA has allowed the EU to coordinate the procurement of over 2.3 million vaccine doses to cover short-, medium- and long-term needs. With a strong European Health Union, our preparedness and response capacities are today stronger than ever. Preparedness and response are fundamental pillars of our European Health Union.Stella Kyriakides, Commissioners for Health and Food Safety –