Mpox Vaccine Progress
Transgene Presents Promising Preclinical Data for New Scalable Mpox Vaccine Candidate at WCID 2026
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French biotech Transgene presented preclinical data on June 25 showing its next-generation mpox vaccine candidate, TG-MVA, delivers protection comparable to the world's only approved mpox shot. The company unveiled the findings at the World Congress on Infectious Diseases (WCID 2026) in Barcelona, Spain, calling the move an "attractive opportunity" to enter the global vaccine supply chain, according to GlobeNewswire.
The data comes as governments scramble for backup suppliers. Currently, Denmark's Bavarian Nordic holds a near-monopoly on mpox vaccines, with its MVA-BN shot — sold as Jynneos in the US — costing as much as $270 per dose. African health agencies requested 20 million doses for 2025–2026, but only 2 to 5 million were estimated to be available, according to Market Screener.
A Bioreactor Vaccine Built to Scale Fast
Traditional mpox vaccines are made using chicken eggs — one egg, roughly one dose. That makes rapid production during an outbreak extremely difficult. Transgene's TG-MVA sidesteps this bottleneck entirely. The company uses an immortalized avian cell line grown in bioreactors, a method borrowed from its myvac® cancer vaccine platform, according to ADVFN.
Dr. Nathalie Silvestre, Transgene's Head of Vectorology, delivered the oral presentation at WCID. She showed that TG-MVA protected animals against severe illness and death across multiple animal models. Neutralizing antibody levels — the immune response that blocks the virus — matched those seen with the approved reference vaccine. CEO Alessandro Riva said the platform positions Transgene as a "potential additional supplier for mpox and smallpox vaccines in the medium term," per GlobeNewswire.
Bavarian Nordic's Dominance Faces Its First Real Challenge
Bavarian Nordic is not standing still. On June 9, the company locked in a DKK 700 million contract for MVA-BN, and it projects 2026 revenues of DKK 2,300 to 2,500 million from pandemic preparedness alone. The company recently submitted data to European regulators to extend its vaccine's approval to children aged 2 to 11, according to Yahoo Finance.
Transgene is not the only challenger. US firm GeoVax is also developing a second-source MVA vaccine, GEO-MVA, and CEO David Dodd has publicly criticized what he calls the "unsustainable" reliance on a single overseas manufacturer. Both companies are racing to reach human trials before the next outbreak forces governments to act.
Clade 1 Mpox Puts Pressure on Governments to Act
The urgency behind Transgene's push is real. A more virulent strain — Clade 1 mpox — emerged in late 2025 and early 2026. Experts at WCID highlighted that "diversified vaccine arsenals" are now a public health priority. Children in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, face the highest risk from this strain, according to Market Screener.
The WHO declared mpox a global health emergency in both 2022 and 2024. Those back-to-back crises exposed how thin the global supply really is. Health authorities in Europe and the US are now prioritizing contracts with companies that can manufacture vaccines locally and at high volume — exactly the pitch Transgene is making.
From Cancer Labs to Pandemic Preparedness: A Risky Pivot
Transgene built its name in cancer immunotherapy, not infectious disease. Its myvac® platform targets cancer with personalized viral vectors. Some financial analysts question whether the mpox push could distract from its core oncology trials, which run through 2028, according to Yahoo Finance.
Others see it differently. Industry observers say the "prophylactic branch" could generate revenue to fund the expensive cancer work. Transgene plans to move into Phase 1 human trials quickly, using expedited registration pathways available for MVA-based vaccines. The company says it will begin formal discussions with health authorities following WCID. Investors responded with cautious optimism, though the stock still faces long-term resistance, per Market Screener.
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