Here are 5 Monkeypox stocks to consider as the fight against the epidemic continues

Monkeypox stocks have enjoyed a good run in the last few weeks, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) classifying Monkeypox as a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.

Moneykpox is a virus that is spread through direct contact with infected liasons, bodily fluids or contaminated materials like bedding. It causes flu-like symptoms and skin blisters across the body. Many would remember a global outbreak in 2022, but this outbreak is a new virulent form that can spread with less physical contract.

It is surging across several African countries, hence the WHO’s declaration – the second in two years, with the prior one being removed in May 2023 following a decline in cases. There is no reason to panic that this could be another global pandemic. Not just because this virus does not spread as easily as COVID-19, but because there are healthcare stocks with vaccines and treatments. In this article, we recap 5 of them.

Here are 5 Monkeypox stocks to consider

Emergent BioSolutions (NYSE:EBS)

Emergent BioSolutions has a vaccine for monkeypox. The vaccine, ACAM2000, is one of two recommended by the CDC alongside Bavarian’s Jynneos. Although it is not FDA-approved, a submission has been made to the American regulator and an answer is expected by this year’s end. Emergent has pledged to donate 50,000 doses of its vaccine to African countries experiencing an outbreak, something that sounds good for the crisis, but not so much for the company’s top and bottom lines.

Bavarian Nordic (CPH:BAVA)

First Novo Nordisk, now this company…what is it about Denmark and its biotech sector? This company is a relative minnow compared to Novo Nordisk, capped at just 21bn krones compared to Novo’s 3.1tn. Nonetheless, Bavarian played a big role in curbing the 2022 outbreak of monkeypox with its Jynneos vaccine. Right after the WHO’s declaration, the company told its investors that it could ramp up manufacturing to supply 2m doses by the end of this year, and another 8m in 2025. The vaccine has been FDA approved since 2019 and in the EU since 2022, although it is still working on obtaining approval for children and adolescents.

Co-Diagnostics (NDQ:CODX)

Co-Diagnostics makes PCR test kits for the virus, called Co-DX that was made by a patented technology called CoPrimer. During the early stages of the last outbreak of moneypox, it was in the designing phase of its R&D work, but able to ship its first kits in July. And if this outbreak is worse than the last, this company may play a bigger role than it did last time around.

Virax Biolabs (NDQ:VRAX)

Virax, which is a penny stock listed on the NASDAQ but based in the UK, makes test kits for various diseases, and monkeypox is one. It has a distribution agreement with NASDAQ-listed Cosmos Health to distribute the kits across Europe, although only exclusively in Greece and Cyprus. Virax’s tests can detect the presence of the virus in 15 minutes, so can serve as a valuable initial screening tool for patients that suspect exposure to infected patients or a high-risk environment. The tests are T-cell based and could potentially be useful for other diseases down the line.

GEOVAX Labs (NDQ:GOVX)

GeoVax is developing vaccines for several diseases, of which Monkeypox is one of them. Its platform uses a technology known as Modified Vaccinia Ankara (MVA), where a weakened strain of the virus is injected to ‘teach’ the body how to fight the real thing. This company is still in the clinic, although its share price has been aided by the failure of a clinical trial run by competitor Siga Technologies.

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