FDA approves first drug to treat smallpox, in case of terrorist attack

U.S. The regulators on Friday approved the first treatment of smallpox – a deadly disease that was wiped out four decades ago – in case the virus was used in a terrorist attack.

Smallpox, highly contagious, was eradicated in 1980 after a massive vaccination campaign. Prior to that, the World Health Organization estimates that the smallpox virus responsible for smallpox has killed about 30% of those infected.

Persons born since the 1980s were not vaccinated and small samples of smallpox viruses were kept for research purposes, leaving the possibility that it might to be used as a biological weapon.

Maker SIGA Technologies of New York has already delivered 2 million treatments that will be stored by the government, which has partially paid for drug development, called TPOXX.

To test the effectiveness of the drug, monkeys and rabbits were infected with a similar virus and then given the drug. More than 90% survived, the company said. Its safety has been tested in several hundred healthy human volunteers, who were not infected with smallpox.

Smallpox killed about 300 million people worldwide in the 20th century before its eradication. Symptoms include fever, fatigue and pus-filled wounds. Until now, doctors could only provide supportive care such as intravenous solutions and remedies for fever and isolate patients. Vaccination can be used to prevent infection, but it must be done within five days of exposure to the virus well before the symptoms appear.

"This new treatment offers us an additional option if smallpox is used as a biological weapon. Scott Gottlieb, chief of the Food and Drug Administration, said in a statement. "Today's action reflects the FDA's commitment to ensuring that the United States is ready for any public health emergency with timely, safe medical products." and effective. "

The drug is a capsule taken twice a day for 14 days. vaccines and drugs for biological, chemical, radiological and nuclear attack. Executive Director Phil Gomez said the company was developing an IV version and was considering selling the drug to other countries and developing it to treat other infectious diseases, including monkeypox, than monkeys. Africans can transmit to humans. The monkeypox can then spread among people and has a mortality rate of about 15%.