Through a new $20 million contract with AmerisourceBergen Corp., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that it will significantly increase the number of distribution locations for monkeypox vaccines and medications
According to the new deal, HHS will be able to transport TPOXX from SIGA Technologies and frozen doses of Bavarian Nordic’s Jynneos vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) to up to 2,500 locations each week.
There were only about 5 places per state and other jurisdictions where the national stockpile was being shipped.
Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary of HHS, stated in a statement that ‘this new commercial contract will help provide vaccines and treatments to communities and at-risk individuals more swiftly and bring us closer to resolving the current outbreak.’
Nearly 20,000 cases of monkeypox have been documented in the US since late May, when a significant multi-nation epidemic started in nations where the virus is not endemic.
States and other jurisdictions are receiving the TPOXX vaccine and dosages gratis, along with distribution.
More than 37,000 courses of TPOXX and more than 800,000 vials of Jynneos have been distributed statewide by the SNS as of September 2.
By the end of August, 30 jurisdictions submitting data on the shots to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had delivered more than 350,000 doses of Jynneos.
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