Bavarian Nordic CFO Reacts to Call for Fair Price for Mpox Vaccine

In an interview with Danish national public radio broadcast station DR, Bavarian Nordic CFO Henrik Juuel reacted to public calls for the company to lower the price of its mpox vaccine.

In late August, Public Citizen sent a letter to CEO Paul Chaplin urging Bavarian Nordic to prioritize public health amid the global mpox emergency and lower the price of Jynneos, the biotech company’s mpox shot. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates mpox vaccines will cost $50 to $75 each, but the definite price of Jynneos remains unknown. The letter outlines how concealing and refusing to lower the price of Jynneos appears to be a move to exploit the latest global health crisis.

According to the DR article, Henrik Juuel denounced criticism of Bavarian Nordic’s pricing practices, but the company has still not divulged the exact price of its vaccine. Previous Public Citizen research found multiple global manufacturers in low- and middle-income countries using similar manufacturing processes as Bavarian Nordic’s selling vaccines for $4 or less per dose – a fraction of the estimated price of Jynneos.

Public Citizen Access to Medicines director Peter Maybarduk says despite push back, we must hold companies like Bavarian Nordic accountable for unfair pricing.

“During health crises like these, access should be based on science and public health need not the ability to pay inflated prices. Lives are at stake,” said Maybarduk. “We plan to keep the momentum going on the international stage to push for fair and transparent price negotiations of Jynneos and, by extension, broaden vaccine access to countries that need them most. For too long pharmaceutical and biotech giants have been able to price gouge because of high demand for life-saving treatments and preventive measures. We cannot let that kind of behavior continue.”