Bavarian Nordic plans to expand the use of smallpox vaccines to adolescents, and smallpox concept stocks in the US stock market are rising before the market opens
Bavarian Nordic plans to submit data to the European Medicines Agency to expand the use of smallpox vaccines to the 12 to 17 age group. Currently, the vaccine is only suitable for those aged 18 and above. The company expects that after review, the vaccine will be available for adolescents in the fourth quarter of 2023, and plans to conduct clinical trials for children aged 2 to 12. Concept stocks related to smallpox in the US market such as SIGA Technologies, Emergent Biosolutions, and GeoVax Labs have all seen an increase, as the market anticipates that expanding the scope of use will significantly increase sales
Zhitong Finance APP learned that Bavarian Nordic A/S, the only company authorized to produce the monkeypox (Mpox) vaccine in the United States and Europe, is now seeking to expand the vaccine's applicability to adolescents. The company, based in northern Copenhagen, announced on Friday its plans to submit clinical data to the European Medicines Agency in order to expand the use of the vaccine to young people aged 12 to 17 in Europe. Previously, new cases of monkeypox have been reported in Sweden, Pakistan, and other places. Pre-market monkeypox concept stocks in the US rose, with SIGA Technologies (SIGA.US) up nearly 1%, Emergent Biosolutions (EBS.US) up over 8%, and GeoVax Labs (GOVX.US) up over 10%.
Currently, the vaccine is only suitable for adults aged 18 and above. However, during the global outbreak of 2022 in the United States, the authorities granted emergency use authorization for the vaccine in adolescents. Bavarian Nordic stated that after completing the review process by the European Medicines Agency, the vaccine is expected to be available for adolescents in the fourth quarter of this year. The company is also preparing for clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the vaccine in children aged 2 to 12.
Paul Chaplin, CEO of Bavarian Nordic, stated earlier this week that the company plans to provide up to 10 million doses of the vaccine to African countries by the end of 2025 to support global epidemic prevention efforts.
The capital market has responded enthusiastically to Bavarian Nordic's actions, with its stock price on the Nasdaq Copenhagen market in Denmark rising for nine consecutive days. On Friday, it surged by 10%, with a cumulative increase of over 35% for the week. The market generally expects that with the expansion of the vaccine's applicability, the company's sales will see a significant increase.
According to reports, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the rapidly spreading monkeypox variant epidemic in Africa as an "event of international concern," the highest level of global epidemic alert under the International Health Regulations framework. As a result of this news, the stock prices of related vaccine and medical product manufacturers have risen.
Medical tool supplier Precision System Science surged 36% in the Japanese stock market, while virus test kit manufacturer Zhejiang HuBio (688317.SH) rose over 5% in the Chinese stock market. Bavarian Nordic (BVNRY.US) listed in the US saw its stock close up 33% on Wednesday, being one of the few companies authorized to produce the monkeypox vaccine.
Manish Bhargava, a fund manager at Singapore's Straits Investment Holdings, stated: "The recent emergence of monkeypox in Africa may evoke memories of the COVID-19 pandemic." Given that the monkeypox epidemic is still in its early stages, investors are expected to remain cautious and wait for further data before reacting