The monkeypox outbreak is surging again. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a severe notice on August 14 local time, characterizing the outbreak of monkeypox (mpox) in parts of Africa as an "international public health emergency". This is the highest level of alert the organization has sounded for this highly contagious disease since 2022. At present, the monkeypox outbreak has killed at least 450 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The latest epidemic dynamics show that the threat of monkeypox has crossed the African continent and spread to parts of Europe and Asia. Both Sweden and Pakistan have reported confirmed cases of monkeypox virus infection. Readers are hereby called on to take daily protection.

Urgent need for vaccines

At an emergency meeting on August 16, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an important call to strengthen the production of monkeypox vaccines in order to effectively control the further spread of monkeypox viruses, especially those more dangerous strains. At the same time, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also upgraded its assessment of the risk of monkeypox transmission.

A WHO spokesperson stressed the importance of vaccine supply, noting: "We urgently need vaccine manufacturers to increase production to ensure that we have access to adequate vaccine supplies."

In addition, the WHO also called on countries with monkeypox vaccine reserves to generously donate some of the vaccines to countries facing challenges from the epidemic. Brenwen Nicol, a senior official of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, revealed a worrying fact: At present, most vaccine reserves are concentrated in wealthy countries, and the number of vaccines sent to Africa is only a drop in the bucket.

Nicol further pointed out that there is a serious shortage of resources in the detection, treatment and vaccination of monkeypox virus on the African continent. This shortage not only limits the local response to the epidemic, but also increases the risk of global spread of the epidemic. She stressed that in order to more effectively control the monkeypox epidemic, the international community must work together to ensure that vaccines and other key medical resources can be fairly and quickly distributed to where they are most needed.

Monkeypox vaccine-related concept stocks rose as much as 110%

Last Friday, GeoVax Labs, a monkeypox concept stock in the US stock market, soared 110%, and Emergent Biosolutions rose more than 24%. Related concept stocks in the A-share market in mainland China also soared rapidly. Haichen Pharmaceutical (300584) and Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical (002370) won two consecutive boards, and Toujing Life (300642), Puli Pharmaceutical (300630), and Hefu China (603122) hit the daily limit.

Remarkably, the share price of Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic A/S has soared continuously, with a cumulative increase of 48% last week. The company has submitted detailed clinical trial data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), with the goal of expanding the applicable age range of the Imvanex vaccine to adolescents aged 12 to 17. The Imvanex vaccine, also known as MVA-BN, has different trade names in different regions (Jynneos in the United States and Imvamune in Canada). It was originally a smallpox vaccine for adults, but the latest clinical data show that it has also achieved significant results in preventing monkeypox virus.

Bavarian Nordic is currently the only pharmaceutical company approved to produce monkeypox (Mpox) vaccines in Europe and the United States. It is worth noting that in 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided emergency use authorization for the use of Imvanex vaccine in adolescent groups, which means that the use of the vaccine in adolescents to prevent monkeypox has been officially recognized. With the further submission and evaluation of clinical data, the Imvanex vaccine is expected to provide protection for a wider age group and further enhance our ability to prevent and control monkeypox epidemics.

The company said that it has supplied up to 2 million doses of monkeypox vaccine so far this year and plans to increase the supply to 10 million doses by the end of 2025. The company also said that it is expanding its production network to Africa and is ready to work with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to make the vaccine available to all countries.

Source: uSMART SG

Beware of the risk of epidemic hype

At present, the spread of the monkeypox epidemic is limited and has not yet spread to major countries such as China, so there is no need to panic too much, and we must be more vigilant about the risk of exaggerating the epidemic to hype investment.

Manish Bhargava, fund manager at Straits Investment Holdings in Singapore, said: "The recent emergence of monkeypox virus in Africa may evoke memories of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that the monkeypox epidemic is still in its early stages, investors are expected to remain vigilant and wait for further data before reacting." Other analysts said that the transmission method and conditions of monkeypox are relatively harsh, and the intensity of transmission is directly related to the level of socioeconomic development of the location. The speculation of monkeypox concepts in the secondary market may be irrational, and investors need to pay attention to short-term risks.

How to trade on uSMART:

After logging into the uSMART SG APP, click "Search" from the top right of the page, enter the target code, such as "BVNKF", to enter the details page to learn about the transaction details and historical trends, click "Trade" in the lower right corner, select the "Buy/Sell" function, and finally fill in the transaction conditions and submit the order; the picture operation instructions are as follows:

Source: uSMART SG

Follow us

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok for frequent updates on all things investing.

Have a financial topic you would like to discuss? Head over to the uSMART Community to share your thoughts and insights about the market! Click the picture below to download and explore uSMART app！

Important Notice and Disclaimer:

We have based this article on our internal research and information available to the public from sources we believe to be reliable. While we have taken all reasonable care in preparing this article, we do not represent the information contained in this article is accurate or complete and we accept no responsibility for errors of fact or for any opinion expressed in this article. Opinions, projections and estimates reflect our assessments as of the article date and are subject to change. We have no obligation to notify you or anyone of any such change. You must make your own independent judgment with respect to any matter contained in this article. Neither we or our respective directors, officers or employees will be responsible for any losses or damages which any person may suffer or incur as a result of relying upon anything stated or omitted from this article.

This document should not be construed in any jurisdiction as constituting an offer, solicitation, recommendation, inducement, endorsement, opinion, or guarantee to purchase, sell, or trade any securities, financial products, or instruments or to engage in any investment or any transaction of any kind, nor is there any intention to solicit or invite the purchase or sale of any securities.

The value of these securities and the income from them may fall or rise. Your investment is subject to investment risk, including loss of income and capital invested. Past performance figures as well as any projection or forecast used in this article is not indicative of its future performance.

This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore