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Japan Ships First Batch Of Mpox Vaccines To DRC

Initial 50,000 Doses As Cases Persist

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Japan ships the first batch of 50,000 mpox vaccine doses to DRC after training local healthcare providers dealing with the persistent outbreak.

Japan ships 50,000 vaccine doses to DRC as mpox cases persist in the central African country. (Shutterstock)

Japan has shipped the first 50,000 doses of a major donation of a domestically developed mpox vaccine to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), following a supply request from the hard-hit central African nation last year for a total of 3,050,000 doses.

KM Biologics' LC16 KMB (LC16m8) live attenuated prophylactic vaccine, originally developed for smallpox, is one of the few available worldwide for the infectious viral disease. The other main supplier in the global outbreak has been Bavarian Nordic with its vaccine Imvanex, shipments of which

More from Japan

Japan Looks To Build Domestic Capacity In New Modalities

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Japan's trade ministry is providing new support to build domestic capacity for new modalities including cell and gene therapies, as part of wider efforts to support the national bioventure ecosystem.

Japan Identifies Drugs ‘In Urgent Need’ Of Development

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Artesunate for malaria, TB drug pretomanid and omadacycline for pneumonia and skin infections are among the drugs identified by Japanese regulatory authorities in urgent need of domestic development.

Japan Pushes Generic Industry Reforms Via New Govt Fund

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Amid ongoing generic drug supply problems, Japan's government is to set up a new fund to support corporate investments geared towards manufacturing and consolidation.

Japan Expands Priority R&D List For Regular Vaccinations

 
• By Lisa Takagi

Japan adds four new pediatric vaccines, including for MMRV and norovirus, to a list of priority vaccines eligible for assistance in regulatory processing.

More from Vaccines

FDA Adcomms Are Back: Four Cancer Drugs, COVID-19 Vaccine Formulations To Get Reviews

 
• By Sue Sutter and Bridget Silverman

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet for two days in mid-May, followed by a Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee’s review of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine formulation.

Tougher Approval Standards May Follow Vinay Prasad’s Appointment To Lead US FDA’s CBER

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

Industry is concerned that Prasad may make regulatory flexibility tougher to obtain for cell and gene therapy, while vaccine and public health advocates are angry about Prasad’s criticisms of US COVID-19 policies.

Moderna Pivots To Increase Focus On Cancer Amid US Vaccine Policy Changes

 
• By Joseph Haas

During its first quarter earnings call, Moderna avoided criticizing vaccine policy changes, but de-emphasized its flu/COVID-19 vaccine for those under age 50 and prioritized cancer programs.