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Antivirus for Monkeypox is put on test for trial

Healthcare

CIO Bulletin
2022-08-25

The Oxford University team credited for finding effective drugs to treat Covid are trialing an antivirus called tecovirimat to aid Monkeypox recovery.

Approximately 500 patients will take part in the trial. A group of people will be treated twice daily with tecovirimat tablets while recuperating from the virus in their homes. Another group of people will receive a placebo or dummy treatment. One of the trial researchers at the University of Oxford, Professor Sir Peter Horby, said, "The aim is to find a remedy that can help people get better faster and get out of quarantine."

Tecovirimat is also known as Tpoxx. This drug prevents the virus from leaving infected cells by stopping it from spreading within the body. Earlier this year, this drug was licensed for Monkeypox based on evidence of safety in healthy human volunteers and promising results from initial studies in animals.

More than 3,000 people have caught the monkeypox virus in the UK in recent months, and more cases are anticipated. The virus has been announced a global emergency, spreading rapidly in many countries. Typically the infection of the virus gets better on its own, but the recovery can take weeks, creating serious complications.