On Friday 20 September, the European Commission announced that it had extended the authorisation of the Imvanex vaccine to adolescents aged 12 to 17. It is the only vaccine against monkeypox currently authorised in the EU, together with an antiviral treatment (Tecovirimat SIGA).
The authorisation comes after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) deemed the vaccine effective and safe for this age group. Imvanex was first authorised in the EU in 2013 to protect adults against smallpox. Authorisation was extended to 2022 to protect adults against Mpox. The EMA is working with African regulators to advance vaccine authorisations in the African region to support the response to the regional epidemic.
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, stressed that, although the risk of Mpox infection for the EU’s general population remains low, “we are constantly working at EU level to ensure that we are well prepared”.
Several hundred Mpox vaccines have been administered in Rwanda since 17 September (see EUROPE 13476/5). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)