(Reuters) - Bavarian Nordic has received an order worth $63 million from the U.S. government to produce additional bulk product and the final freeze-dried doses of its mpox and smallpox vaccine, Jynneos, it said on Tuesday.

Bavarian Nordic said on Thursday its mpox vaccine was approved by the EU's drug regulator for use in adolescents, bolstering the case for using the shot in the 12 to 17 age group to contain an outbreak in parts of Africa.

Bavarian Nordic A/S, one of the only companies with a vaccine approved for mpox, has received regulatory approval in Europe for the use of its jab for adolescents.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is taking an unusually hard line on doctors who it says improperly prescribed Ozempic.

The global vaccine group Gavi will buy 500,000 doses of Bavarian Nordic's mpox vaccine, its first purchase of the shot to help battle an outbreak in parts of Africa, the group said on Wednesday.

Bavarian Nordic's mpox vaccine has gained approval for use in adolescents by the EU's drug regulator. This move is seen as essential for containing an outbreak in parts of Africa, with the World Health Organization declaring mpox a global public health emergency.

Bavarian Nordic receives WHO prequalification for IMVANEX as the first vaccine against mpox, accelerating access in African countries.

The EU's drug regulator has approved Bavarian Nordic's mpox vaccine for use in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, the company said on Thursday, bolstering evidence for using the shot in that age group to contain an outbreak in parts of Africa.

Mpox, declared a global public health emergency by WHO, has disproportionately affected children and adolescents

The European Commission on Friday extended the authorization of the Imvanex mpox vaccine to teenagers aged 12 to 17. "Although the overall risk of being infected with mpox for the general EU population remains low,