The first study of its kind as experts mobilize to contain the global outbreak and gather vital real-world information on how available drugs and vaccines fare is being conducted by a team of British scientists.
A monkeypox treatment is being tried on.
The trial will look at whether tecovirimat is safe and effective in treating monkeypox.
Tpoxx is an antiviral treatment that was originally developed for the smallpoxviruses.
The drug is already available for some monkeypox patients, but it is not proven to be an effective treatment.
The ability to keep patients out of hospital and the rate at which patients recover from monkeypox will be assessed by Platinum.
The U.K. government-funded study aims to enroll at least 500 people with monkeypox from across the country who will receive either a placebo or tecovir to take twice a day.
Sir Peter Horby, a professor of emerging infections and global health at Oxford University, said early data on tecovirimat are promising but only randomized clinical trials will provide the kind of evidence needed to treat patients with confidence.
There are no specific treatments or vaccines for monkeypox that are available in Africa. The monkeypox virus is a close relative of variola, which has been eradicated, and experts believe treatments and vaccines designed for the disease will work against it. Studies done in animals and humans suggest that the immune response generated by vaccines may be more effective than preventing disease. No treatments have been proven to work against monkeypox and only one vaccine has been specifically approved for use against monkeypox in the world. The shot, marketed as Jynneos in the U.S., Imvanex in Europe and Imvanune in Canada, is only produced by one company and is in a critical shortage. The U.S. is testing a strategy that could quintuple the number of doses available.
A total of 42,955. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been over a thousand confirmed cases of monkeypox in this year's outbreak. There have been confirmed deaths in locations that have not previously reported monkeypox. More than 15,000 cases have been reported in the US, where most of the confirmed cases have been. Sex between men is thought to be the cause of the monkeypox outbreak in the U.S.
The National Institute of Health will study a new method of monkeypox vaccine.
There are new challenges for vaccine rollout because of a new monkeypox dosing strategy.
New research shows that sex between men is fueling monkeypox.
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