HHS facilitates agreement to accelerate delivery of additional smallpox and monkeypox vaccines using new U.S. production line

Aug. 22, 2022
Smallpox and monkeypox vaccine update.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has facilitated an agreement between Bavarian Nordic and Grand River Aseptic Manufacturing (GRAM), a Michigan-based pharmaceutical contract manufacturer, to establish the first fill and finish line for the JYNNEOS vaccine in the U.S.

To support the current monkeypox outbreak and future smallpox preparedness, the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority (BARDA), within the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), has ordered 5.5 million vials of JYNNEOS from Bavarian Nordic to be filled, finished and delivered from U.S. government-owned bulk vaccine stored in Denmark. Under the procurement, Bavarian Nordic agreed to complete a technology transfer that would allow for 2.5 million of those vials to be filled and finished by a U.S.-based contract manufacturer.

HHS release