Mpox vaccine stockpile can help the fight, if the price is right
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and MSF (Doctors Without Borders) announced today the launch of a global stockpile of mpox vaccines, intended to end the pattern of lower-income countries suffering delayed access during outbreaks.
Public Citizen previously called on the U.S. to contribute doses to a WHO-led stockpile, to help stamp out the 2022 outbreak. In 2024, Public Citizen called on Gavi and UNICEF to negotiate for a fair price and for manufacturers to provide adequate affordable supply, after lower-income countries got left behind.
Liza Barrie, Public Citizen’s Global Vaccines Access campaign director, issued the following statement:
“This stockpile has the potential to shorten the deadly delays that have frustrated the fight against this painful disease for many years, particularly for lower-income countries that might otherwise have to depend on unreliable donations from wealthy countries.
“But this announcement is mostly a statement of intent. The size of the stockpile depends on ‘final agreements with manufacturers’ that haven’t yet been disclosed, and there is still no information on the price for each dose. If the price ends up being $65 per dose, which is the amount that UNICEF paid in 2024, it would be a missed opportunity to bring the price down and expand access. Vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic’s exorbitant pricing, among the highest UNICEF pays for any vaccine and more than it appears to charge the United States government, previously compromised the global mpox response. We look forward to seeing the details of actual agreements.”
Public Citizen’s work related to mpox, including challenging Bavarian Nordic’s pricing strategy and lack of transparency, are available here.