As the nation faces a shortage of Jynneos monkeypox vaccines, about 28 million doses expired in the Strategic National Stockpile, and federal officials repeatedly chose to not refill the supply, The New York Times reported Aug. 1.
When the monkeypox outbreak surfaced in the U.S. in May, only about 2,400 doses, enough for 1,200 people, were usable, according to the Times. As 27,993,370 of Jynneos vials passed their three-year expiration date by 2017, officials prioritized funding the development of a freeze-dried version of Bavarian Nordic's vaccine with a longer shelf life, which has waited for FDA approval for years.
The U.S. recently bumped the stockpile up to 1.1 million Jynneos vaccines after rushing to clear the vaccine-maker's facility, but the nation is expected to wait for about three months before the next shipment.
A reason for the supply issue is because the agency in charge of procuring the monkeypox vaccine, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, has a "limited budget" and was focused on the perceived threat of a bioterrorist attack using smallpox.
"Our planning was for smallpox," Gary Disbrow, PhD, director of BARDA, told the Times.
As of Aug. 1, the U.S. reported more than 5,000 monkeypox cases and it's ahead of the 72 other countries that have reported cases during the current outbreak.