Serum Institute of India to develop vaccine for Mpox

Pune: The Serum Institute of India (SII) has announced that the company is developing a vaccine to address the risks posed by the Mpox outbreak. Adar Poonawalla, the Chief Executive Officer of the company stated that SII is working on developing a vaccine for the disease to cater to millions of lives that might be at risk. The company plans to share more updates on the same within a year.

Mpox is a viral disease that is transmitted through physical contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated object. The government has released official guidelines for isolating people who might be suffering from the disease. The National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune has been given the responsibility for sample testing.

The rapid spread of the new strain of the virus, clade 1b across Africa has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare Mpox as a public health emergency of international concern. Several vaccines have been approved that are being currently used against the viral disease. Some of them include:

• MVA-BN vaccine or the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic approved by the European Union (EU), United States (US), Canada, and a  few other countries
• Acam2000, approved by the US Food and Drugs Administration
• JYNNEOS approved by the US and the EU

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