EU Gains Continued Access to Mpox Vaccine With New Contract
November 27, 2025
Europe’s new four-year joint procurement of up to eight million MVA-BN mpox/smallpox vaccine doses marks a long-overdue shift toward serious orthopoxvirus preparedness. With clade Ib emerging in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and evidence of local transmission among European sexual networks, the assumption that mpox was a contained 2022 event is no longer credible. The European Commission is right to treat mpox as a high-priority threat, especially given partial vaccine protection, ongoing therapeutic gaps, and rising monthly case numbers. Predictable stockpiles, targeted vaccination, and HERA-supported immunogenicity studies are essential steps—provided they are matched with sustained political attention and funding.
The European Commission’s decision to secure up to eight million MVA-BN vaccine doses through a four-year joint procurement contract signals a significant recalibration of Europe’s waning vigilance toward mpox. After the 2022 outbreak subsided, many governments treated the virus as a transient emergency. That assumption has collapsed. Community transmission of a new mpox clade Ib variant—first detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and now appearing in European countries without travel links—demonstrates that the virus has quietly re-established footholds in sexual networks where clade II once dominated.
HERA’s designation of mpox as a high-priority threat is warranted. Existing vaccines offer only partial cross-protection, therapeutics remain limited, and scientific uncertainty persists regarding transmissibility and disease severity of clade Ib. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has already noted that seven of 29 confirmed clade Ib cases required hospitalization and that individuals with untreated HIV may face heightened risk. Meanwhile, Europe continues to report more than 200 mpox cases per month, mainly among men who have sex with men—evidence of steady, if underrecognized, circulation.
The new procurement agreement is not merely a bureaucratic exercise; it is a strategic correction. By anchoring vaccine access in the rescEU stockpile, the EC ensures that countries can act without scrambling for bilateral contracts during crisis. Equally important is the effort to close scientific gaps. HERA’s support for clinical studies comparing intradermal versus subcutaneous booster dosing is essential to refining real-world immunization strategies—especially as new clades emerge.
Still, preparedness cannot be episodic. The 2022–2023 decline in cases owed much to behavior change, targeted vaccination, and natural immunity; these conditions may not persist. Europe must treat mpox as a recurring orthopoxvirus threat requiring sustained funding, diagnostics capacity, and transparent surveillance partnerships—both within the EU and with African public health systems.
Only then will joint procurement translate into durable resilience.