The monkeypox epidemic continues to attract global attention!
Currently, the monkeypox epidemic is rapidly spreading. On August 19th, the Philippine Department of Health announced that the country has discovered its first case of monkeypox since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern". Previously, Pakistan had discovered at least three confirmed cases of monkeypox virus infection; A patient in the Stockholm area of Europe has been confirmed to be infected with the monkeypox "branch I" strain, marking the first confirmed case of this strain outside of the African continent.
Prior to today's US stock market, monkeypox concept stocks saw further gains, with GeoVax Labs rising over 60%, Chimerix rising over 26%, Emergent BioSolutions rising nearly 9%, and SIGA Technologies rising over 5%. It is worth noting that last Friday, GeoVax Labs surged 110% and Emergent Biosolutions rose over 24%.
Concept stocks skyrocket
The rise of monkeypox concept stocks is still ongoing.
In terms of the A-share market, Asia Pacific Pharmaceutical once again hit the daily limit up today, recording three consecutive board meetings; Hefu China also continued to hit the daily limit up, achieving two consecutive boards; Toujing Life has risen by over 7%, and the company also hit the limit up last Friday.
In the US stock market, monkeypox concept stocks have seen even more aggressive gains. Prior to the stock market on August 19th, GeoVax Labs rose over 60%, Chimerix rose over 26%, Emergent BioSolutions rose nearly 9%, and SIGA Technologies rose over 5%. Last Friday, the above-mentioned companies had already experienced a surge. On that day, GeoVax Labs surged by over 110%, Chimerix and Emergent BioSolutions both rose by over 20%, and SIGA Technologies rose by over 9%.
In addition, on the evening of August 19th, Daan Gene announced on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange that the company has recently obtained a medical device registration certificate issued by the National Medical Products Administration, specifically a monkeypox virus nucleic acid detection kit (fluorescent PCR method), valid from the date of approval until August 17, 2029. Daan Gene stated that obtaining the aforementioned medical device registration certificate has enriched the company's product portfolio and expanded the application areas of its products. At present, the above-mentioned products are still in the market development stage, and there is uncertainty in market demand. Investors are advised to pay attention to investment risks.
A few days ago, Kefu Medical announced that its monkeypox related testing kits have obtained the EU CE certificate and can be sold in the EU and other regions that recognize EU certification. Kangwei Century also stated that in 2022, the company obtained the CE certification certificate for the monkeypox virus nucleic acid detection kit (fluorescent PCR method) used for detecting monkeypox virus in the European Union (CE certification is a mandatory product certification in the EU and a passport for products to enter the European market). It is expected that this product may contribute very little to the operating revenue in 2024.
On August 15th, the General Administration of Customs issued a notice on preventing monkeypox outbreaks from entering China, stating that individuals from countries (regions) where monkeypox outbreaks occur who have come into contact with monkeypox cases or experience symptoms such as fever, headache, back pain, muscle pain, lymphadenopathy, rash, and mucosal rash should proactively declare to customs upon entry. Customs personnel will take medical measures and conduct sampling and testing according to prescribed procedures. Transportation vehicles, containers, goods, and items from countries (regions) where monkeypox outbreaks occur and are contaminated or at risk of contamination should undergo sanitation treatment according to prescribed procedures.
Everbright Securities stated that timely and effective testing helps to take timely control measures and reduce the risk of virus transmission. It is recommended to pay attention to companies that have obtained CE certification for monkeypox testing products, including Wanfu Biology, Shengxiang Biology, Dongfang Biology, Daan Gene, Kepu Biology, Shuoshi Biology, Botuo Biology, and Rejing Biology. Shanghai Securities also pointed out that the number of monkeypox cases has surged recently, and the epidemic has become a public health emergency of international concern. Nucleic acid testing can detect monkeypox virus nucleic acid in specimens. It is recommended to pay attention to companies such as Rejing Biotechnology, Puli Pharmaceutical, and Haichen Pharmaceutical.
The epidemic is spreading wildly
On August 14th, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, announced that the monkeypox outbreak constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern". This is the second time in over two years that the World Health Organization has declared a monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern".
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the current monkeypox epidemic has the potential to spread further in Africa and to other continents, which is very concerning. WHO issued a bulletin saying that a new, more deadly strain of monkeypox virus is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has spread to neighboring countries that have never reported monkeypox cases, such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the monkeypox 1b virus variant appeared in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year and rapidly spread, apparently mainly through sexual transmission, and this mycoplasma has also been found in neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is particularly concerning.
Subsequently, on August 15th, the Swedish Public Health Agency released a statement confirming that a patient in the Stockholm area had been infected with the monkeypox "branch I" strain. It is reported that this is the first confirmed case of infection with this strain outside of the African continent, and the patient has traveled to Africa. The Swedish Public Health Agency stated that the "Branch I" strain is similar to the disease caused by the previously discovered monkeypox "Branch IIb" strain in Sweden, but is expected to be more severe and have a higher mortality rate. Sweden has previously reported about 300 cases of monkeypox, all of which are related to the spread of the global "branch IIb" strain. The "branch IIb" strain is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, while the "branch I" strain is mainly transmitted through other contact routes, especially close contact within the family, often infecting children.
On August 16th, the health department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan announced the discovery of 2 cases of monkeypox in the province, and another patient's sample was sent to the hospital for confirmation. At present, the number of confirmed monkeypox cases in the country this year has increased to 3.
On August 17th, the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the number of suspected or confirmed monkeypox cases reported in Africa since the beginning of this year has exceeded the total number of cases reported for the whole of last year. Data shows that 12 member states of the African Union have experienced monkeypox outbreaks, with a total of 18737 reported cases, including 3101 confirmed cases and 15636 suspected cases, resulting in 541 deaths and a mortality rate of 2.89%.
These cases cover three strains of monkeypox virus, one of which is a new, more lethal and easily transmissible "branch Ib" variant that began spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo in September last year. At present, Congo (Kinshasa) is also the country with the most severe monkeypox epidemic this round, with all 26 provinces of the country reporting cases.
On August 19th, the Philippine Department of Health announced that the country has discovered its first case of monkeypox since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern". It is reported that the case is a 33 year old male citizen from the Philippines with no history of traveling abroad. This person went to the hospital for treatment on the 18th due to fever symptoms.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease. The initial symptoms of monkeypox infection in humans include fever, headache, muscle soreness, back pain, and swollen lymph nodes, which can later develop into a widespread rash on the face and body. Most infected individuals will recover within a few weeks, but there are also cases of severe illness or even death.
It is worth noting that unlike the first wave of monkeypox outbreaks two years ago, the most affected population this time are women and children under the age of 15. Children account for over 70% of the cases and 85% of the deaths, with a mortality rate for children four times that of adults.
WHO urges to increase vaccine production
On August 16th, the World Health Organization urged vaccine manufacturers to increase production of monkeypox vaccines to control the spread of a more dangerous strain of monkeypox.
Margaret Harris, spokesperson for the World Health Organization, publicly stated on the 16th, "We do need manufacturers to increase production so that we can obtain more vaccines." The WHO also requires countries with monkeypox vaccine reserves to donate the vaccine to affected areas. Brendan Nichol, a senior official in charge of public health emergencies at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said that most vaccine reserves are in wealthy countries, and the vaccines shipped to Africa so far are "just a drop in the ocean". She said that there is an extreme lack of monkeypox virus testing, treatment methods, and vaccines throughout the African continent, "which seriously hinders the local ability to prevent and control the epidemic.
In addition, on August 16th, the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention raised the risk level of sporadic monkeypox cases in the European Union from "low" to "moderate", and the overall risk of monkeypox infection in the EU from "very low" to "low", and required European countries to remain highly vigilant about travelers from affected areas. Pamela Lundy Wagner, Director of the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said that due to the close ties between Europe and Africa, it is necessary to prepare for the emergence of more imported cases.
Currently, only a few companies worldwide have been approved to produce monkeypox vaccines. One manufacturer, Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic Biotech, announced on August 17th that it plans to increase its monkeypox vaccine production capacity and expand its vaccination coverage.
Bavarian Nordic Biotechnology Company stated 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 stated that it is expanding its production network to Africa and is preparing to collaborate with the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization to make this vaccine accessible to all countries.
On the secondary market, the stock price of Bavarian Nordic Biotechnology Company surged 47.66% last week. Since mid June, the company has seen a cumulative increase of 82%.