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EU Drug Regulator considers th...EU Drug Regulator considers the possibility of using Smallpox vaccine for Monkeypox
The Silicon Review
29 June, 2022
Author:
The Silicon Review Team
Monkeypox is related to smallpox, which killed millions before it was eradicated in 1980
The European Union's drug regulator has started looking at the possibility of using the smallpox vaccine to treat the growing number of cases of monkeypox. Imvanex was approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for smallpox in 2013, but its maker, Danish firm Bavarian Nordic, did not apply at the time for its use against monkeypox. Monkeypox is related to smallpox, which killed millions around the world before it was eradicated in 1980, but has far less severe symptoms. EMA is awaiting a formal application from Bavarian Nordic.
The EMA also said that due to a shortage of supplies, European countries would be able to import the American version of Imvanex, which is called Jynneos. Jynneos has already been cleared by US authorities for use against monkeypox. "Supplies of Imvanex are currently very limited in the EU," the EMA said. The World Health Organization said that a monkeypox outbreak that began in May is a deeply concerning evolving threat that currently does not constitute a global health emergency. A surge of monkeypox cases has been detected outside West and Central African countries where the disease has long been endemic. Most of the new cases have been reported in Western Europe.
