Bavarian Nordic secures $97M BARDA order for freeze-dried smallpox vaccine

Bavarian Nordic, a biotechnology company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, has announced that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has exercised additional contract options valued at $97 million for the manufacturing and supply of a freeze-dried formulation of its JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine.

The options secure the remaining doses under an original order for 11.5 million doses, with freeze-dried doses to be manufactured and delivered during 2027, according to the announcement. The order also includes manufacturing of additional bulk vaccine to replace material consumed during the monkeypox outbreak response in 2022-2023, with bulk vaccine to be invoiced during 2026, the company said.

The freeze-dried formulation of JYNNEOS was approved by the FDA in March 2025 and offers advantages over the liquid-frozen formulation in terms of transportation, storage conditions, and shelf life, according to the company. Bavarian Nordic said it invested in a commercial manufacturing facility to support production of the freeze-dried formulation. The vaccine was originally developed as a liquid-frozen formulation, which received FDA approval in 2019.

Paul Chaplin, president and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said in a statement that the contract represents a milestone in the company's long-standing partnership with the U.S. government, which began nearly a decade ago with a joint program to develop a freeze-dried formulation to improve storage and transportation logistics for the vaccine.