The European Union buys more than 100,000 doses of a vaccine against monkeypox. The Danish manufacturer Bavarian Nordic can probably start deliveries this month, says the European Commission.

The EU is drawing on the European budget for the first time to buy vaccines. Member States most in need of the vaccine get it first.

About 900 people in the EU have been diagnosed with the virus in recent weeks. The virus has also appeared in the Netherlands, but our country has enough vaccines in stock and is not participating in the group purchase. The vaccines are primarily intended for, for example, care providers who come into contact with patients.

With 109,090 doses of the Imvanex vaccine, the EU is purchasing more than twice as much as previously discussed. The European Commission points to “the high demand and limited supply” of the drug.

The vaccine was once developed to protect against common smallpox but also works well against the related monkeypox. That is why it can also be used against this for the time being, although the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet officially approved it for that purpose. The regulator is consulting with Bavarian Nordics about the rapid authorization of the drug, the committee says.

The joint purchase of corona vaccines is considered a success in Brussels. Then the committee concluded a framework contract with the manufacturer, after which the EU countries could each place an order within it.