Brazilian mpox vaccine a priority for health ministry committee
Since the first global mpox emergency was declared two years ago, the Vaccine Technology Center at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) has been developing a Brazilian vaccine capable of preventing the infection. In a statement, the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation said the initiative is one of the priorities of the Virus Network, a committee of virology experts created to develop diagnostic methods, treatments, vaccines, and content on emerging viruses in Brazil.
On August 14, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-general Tedros Adhanom declared a public health emergency of international importance due to the surge in cases and the emergence of a new variant on the African continent. Data from Brazil’s Ministry of Health indicate that 709 cases of the disease have been identified in the country this year, none of which caused by the new variant.
In 2022, the ministry reported, the US National Institute of Health donated to UFMG material known as the mpox virus seed, a kind of starting point for the development of the active pharmaceutical ingredient of the shot.
“The research is currently in its the study phase for increasing production, as we verify whether we can obtain the raw material to meet the demand on a large scale,” the ministry added.
The Brazilian dose is said to be composed of a virus similar to the mpox virus, attenuated via a number of transitions through a different host, until it completely loses its ability to multiply in mammalian hosts, like humans.
Other vaccines
According to the WHO, there are currently two vaccines available against mpox. One of them, Jynneos, produced by Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic, is also made up of the attenuated virus and is recommended for adults, including pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people with HIV.
The second inoculation is ACAM 2000, by the US pharmaceutical company Emergent BioSolutions, but it has several contraindications, as well as more side effects, since it is made up of the active virus, “making it less safe,” as per the Brazilian ministry’s evaluation.
After the WHO declared mpox a global emergency, the Ministry of Health announced it is negotiating the purchase of 25 thousand doses of Jynneos from the Pan American Health Organization. Since 2023, when Brazil’s drug watchdog Anvisa approved the provisional use of the jab, Brazil has received around 47 thousand doses of the vaccine and applied 29 thousand of them.
