Increasing concerns about the emergence of monkeypox in the West have caused stocks of several vaccine and pharmaceutical companies to skyrocket.
Infections are rarely reported outside of Central and West Africa, but as of Saturday, 92 cases have been confirmed this month in areas where the monkeypox virus is not endemic, such as Europe and the United States. According to the World Health Organization..
At least 3 cases It has been confirmed in the United States over the past year, including one of the adult men who recently traveled from Canada to Massachusetts. (No deaths have been reported.)
By last Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Warning to healthcare providers Regarding a series of recent incidents, President Joe Biden said monkeypox is “everyone should be worried.”
Some companies that have developed smallpox vaccines and remedies have seen stock prices skyrocket, and some of those pharmaceutical companies have turned to investors who have paid close attention to the boosted stocks. May be familiar In early 2020 After China first disclosed the outbreak of the new coronavirus, it was finally identified as SARS-CoV-2.
This too:
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GeoVax Labs Inc.
GOVX,
+ 66.91% ,
Stock prices soared 70% in trading on Monday afternoon. Without a licensed or approved product, the company focuses on modified vaccinia ankara base (MVA) technology. “An important point to consider is that when monkeypox surfaced, health authorities went directly to MVA. Proven efficacy, safety and durability,” Maxim Group’s Jason McCarthy told investors. Told. “This is validating MVA as a platform, especially GeoVax.” GeoVax has developed COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters and vaccines for people with weakened immunity. Shot is still a Phase 2 clinical trial.
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Emergent BioSolutions Co., Ltd.
EBS,
+ 3.79% ,
The stock rose 7.3% on Monday. Emergent has an FDA-approved smallpox vaccine called ACAM2000.The company too Announced last week Purchased exclusive rights to Chimerix Inc.
CMRX,
Antiviral smallpox treatment, Tembexa, up to $ 337.5 million worth of transactions, and royalties. “Emergent now offers the broadest product line to combat monkeypox / smallpox outbreaks in the United States and around the world,” benchmark Robert Wasserman wrote in a note to investors last week. ..Emergence I encountered a manufacturing problem For Johnson & Johnson
JNJ,
+ 2.04% Pandemic’s first COVID-19 vaccine that delayed the deployment of the pharmaceutical giant Shot.
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Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.
INO,
+ 2.13% ,
Recently this Abandon the COVID-19 vaccine plan and let go of the CEO.. Shares on Monday rose 4%. In 2010, the company said it put an smallpox vaccine into a preclinical trial to evaluate its efficacy against monkeypox. Inovio last updated investors on this trial in 2011.
There are also active activities by other groups of vaccine and pharmaceutical companies, such as:
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Siga Technologies Inc.
Jammer,
-12.66% ,
Shares fell 8.0% in trading on Monday. Last week, the company received FDA approval for an intravenous formulation of Tpoxx, a treatment for smallpox. The treatment has already been approved as oral therapy in Canada, Europe, and the United States. Earlier this month, the company said the Pentagon had signed a $ 7.5 million contract to purchase a dose of oral Tpoxx.
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Bavarian Nordic
BVNKF,
-6.77% ,
Shares fell 4.6% on Monday afternoon. The company has an MVA vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox, which is called Jynneos, Imvamune, or Imvanex. Last week, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency said it had exercised the option to buy 13 million doses of Jynneos for $ 119 million.
There is some overlap between companies that say they are developing COVID-19 vaccines and treatments and companies that are also working on smallpox and monkeypox vaccines and treatments, but with SARS-CoV-2. There are some important differences between monkeypox infections. Level of US readiness.
According to Raymond James analysts, the United States already has a stockpile of smallpox vaccines that can protect against monkeypox, vaccination of the entire US population.
“We have a vaccine against it,” said Dr. Ashish Jar, COVID-19 compliant coordinator at the White House. Said “this week” on Sunday. “We have a cure for it. And it spreads very differently from SARS-CoV-2. It’s not as contagious as COVID, so we can keep our arms around it. I’m sure I can do it. “
The first case of monkeypox reported in humans was detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 50 years ago, and the first outbreak of monkeypox in the United States was in 2003, with approximately 43 cases in six states as a result of contact. I confirmed. According to Raymond James analysts, a pet prairie dog housed near an animal imported from Ghana.
“With our current understanding of circulating strains, we believe the United States is far more prepared for monkeypox outbreaks than other infectious diseases,” Raymond James analysts said this week. Told.
S & P 500
SPX,
This year it is down 18.1%.
