The CDC has announced an Investigational New Drug Protocol is in place for a potential monkeypox treatment.
Tecovirimat, or Tpoxx, is an antiviral drug that has been FDA approved to treat smallpox. Now, the drug has been approved for an FDA-regulated Expanded Access Investigational New Drug mechanism.
According to the CDC, the protocol includes patient treatment and reporting of any side effects to ensure all FDA requirements are met.
A new report from the CDC states that 549 monkeypox patients were treated with Tpoxx through the investigational protocol. Of those, 369 were given outcome reports and few of them reported any adverse effects.
The implications of this report are that Tpoxx is generally well tolerated and could be used as a treatment during the current monkeypox outbreak.
