Public Citizen Analysis Reveals Shocking Global Monkeypox Vaccine Inequity

The U.S. holds nearly 80% of the Jynneos vaccine used to fight monkeypox, despite having only 35% of the global monkeypox cases, even as many countries go without access to any doses, according to a Public Citizen analysis of public records estimates released today.

"Once again, vaccines for an outbreak are not available in the vast majority of countries, including in the African states that have fought monkeypox for years," said Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen's Access to Medicines Program. "We still are waiting for President Biden to put forward a plan to fight global monkeypox and avoid the tragic mistakes of the COVID crisis."

The analysis compares vaccine access and monkeypox cases in more than a dozen countries. For example, African countries where monkeypox is endemic, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, neither have access to doses nor orders secured, despite recording multiple deaths.

No countries in Africa have any doses on hand, or any orders placed. And Brazil, which has reported close to one in twelve cases globally, has no doses available. Meanwhile, by August 25, the U.S. had already obtained 1,100,000 vaccine doses for 16,602 cases - or 66 doses for every case, with nearly 7 million in total ordered so far. The U.S. has 22 times more doses than the E.U. and the U.K.

Earlier this month, advocates urged the Biden administration to use the Defense Production Act to ramp up and accelerate production of additional finished Jynneos vaccine doses and support expansion and diversification of vaccine production capacity globally.

"Alarm bells are ringing," said Zain Rizvi, research director in Public Citizen's Access to Medicines program. "As we have learned all too painfully throughout the coronavirus pandemic, we can't solve a global public health emergency through national policies alone. A global plan is needed to curb this global crisis."