According to a study published Tuesday in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, an antiviral normally used to treat smallpox may reduce the duration of monkeypox illness.
The tecovirimat has been shown to be effective against monkeypox.
The study analyzed the seven patients who were diagnosed with monkeypox in the U.K. between August and September.
The study found that the patient who took tecovirimat spent less time in the hospital with monkeypox than the average patient.
The study's authors said they could not draw hard-and-fast conclusions because of their small sample size.
The US keeps 1.7 million doses of tecovirimat in its Strategic National Stockpile, which could be a major asset for monkeypox response if the drug's effectiveness is confirmed by additional research.
Three patients in the study took brincidofovir, but it did not show any effectiveness against monkeypox.
The monkeypox outbreak has grown to include at least 131 cases in 19 countries where the virus is not endemic, including at least one confirmed case and four presumed cases in the United States. Treatments for both monkeypox and smallpox can be effective. The Strategic National Stockpile will release doses of Jynneos, a vaccine that is effective against both monkeypox and smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monkeypox can be transmitted through broken skin or through the mucus membranes, and can cause a rash that can develop into blisters.
Monkeypox can be fatal, but it is usually mild. Raj Panjabi, senior director for global health security and biodefense at the National Security Council, told Morning Edition Monday that the current outbreak poses only a minor risk to the public. Even countries with less robust healthcare infrastructure can usually keep deaths under 1% among patients with the mild monkeypox strain involved in the current outbreak. The seven patients who were involved in the study made a full recovery.
The WHO says that the outbreak is contiguity as cases grow.
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