WHO approves second mpox vaccine – News

The World Health Organization on Tuesday approved the mpox vaccine developed by Japanese pharmaceutical company KM Biologics for emergency use; This vaccine is the second to receive the agency’s seal of approval.

WHO said it granted emergency use listing (EUL) authorization to the LC16m8 vaccine to “facilitate increased and timely access to vaccines in communities where MPOX outbreaks are increasing.”

WHO EUL paves the way for countries around the world to quickly approve the vaccine and import it for distribution.

“The WHO emergency use listing of the LC16m8 vaccine against MPox marks an important step in our response to the current emergency and provides a new option to protect all populations, including children,” said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO deputy director-general for access to medicines and health. ” products, he said in a statement.

In September, WHO had prequalified another vaccine against mpox, the Bavarian-Scandinavian MVA-BN, to help accelerate the fight against growing mpox epidemics.

The UN health agency declared a new international emergency on mpox on August 14, amid growing concern about a rise in cases of the new Clade 1b strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to nearby countries.

This and other strains of mpox have been reported in 80 countries so far this year, including 19 in Africa, the WHO said.

The Democratic Republic of Congo remains by far the country most affected by the epidemic, having recorded the vast majority of more than 39,000 suspected cases and more than 1,000 deaths.