Two weeks after the Food and Drug Administration approved a new method of administering the monkeypox vaccine, the National Institute of Health plans to start a clinical trial evaluating the new method, which allows healthcare workers to stretch limited vaccine supplies by injecting one-fifth of a standard dose.
The man is waiting in line for a vaccine.
The news comes after some experts raised concerns about limited data on the new "dose sparing" strategy, which is based largely on a single study in 2015.
NIAID told Forbes that more information on the trial will be shared in a coming announcement.
In the past, health officials have used vaccine in order to stretch out a short supply. The method is used for testing for Tuberculosis, which involves injecting a small amount of fluid into the skin.
A total of 14,115 cases of monkeypox and orthopoxviruses have been confirmed in the U.S. over the past three months. The federal government has faced backlash for its slow roll out of the Jynneos vaccine, which is the only shot approved by the FDA for monkeys. The White House decided to use the new vaccine strategy after declaring a public health emergency. Evidence shows that the method produces the same immune response as the standard method. Health care workers are not trained on how to give injections. Last week, the CDC said it is training workers how to do it.
In a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the CEO of Bavarian Nordic stated that the company had reservations about the approach because of limited safety data. The White House should have communicated better with the company before making the announcement so that they could discuss best practices with the government.
There are more local jurisdictions that could make the switch to the vaccine. The epicenter of the U.S. outbreak has begun to adopt the dose sparing strategy. The White House said last week that health officials in Los Angeles and Fulton County have switched to the new method.
The New York Times reported that the Monkeypox vaccine plan is going to be used by cities and states.
There are new challenges for vaccine rollout because of a new monkeypox dosing strategy.
The monkeypox vaccine is in high demand.
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