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The deadly smallpox virus has been eradicated worldwide for a long time – but experts now fear that the virus could be turned into a biological weapon. As a precautionary measure, the US Food and Drug Administration approved the first drug to treat smallpox on Friday.
New York drug maker SIGA Technologies has already delivered two million treatments of the drug called TPOXX, or tecovirimat, which will be stored by the government in the event of a terrorist attack.
"This new treatment offers us an additional option if smallpox is used as a biological weapon," FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.
People in the United States are no longer vaccinated for the highly contagious condition since a global vaccination campaign led to the Eradication of the virus In 1980, according to the estimates of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smallpox killed about 30% of those infected.
Even after the extermination of the virus, some small samples were left to the scientific study. For years, the World Health Organization has debated the possibility of destroying the latest known samples of the virus, one in the United States and the other in Russia. NPR previously reported that both countries had resisted calls to get rid of their smallpox samples, explaining that they needed it for important research.
The new drug could protect against a deadly epidemic if the virus falls into the wrong hands.
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Prior to the FDA's approval, the drug's efficacy was tested on monkeys and rabbits infected with a similar virus and then administered to the drug. More than 90 percent survived, the company said.
The safety of TPOXX has also been evaluated in hundreds of healthy human volunteers without smallpox infection. The most commonly reported side effects included headache, nausea and abdominal discomfort.
Smallpox killed about 300 million people during the 20th century before being annihilated. The virus spreads primarily through direct contact with people, according to the FDA. The virus usually hides in the body until 14 days after the infection before a person presents symptoms. Someone who contracts the condition could expect to have fever, accompanied by headaches and back pain. The rash that bears the name of smallpox consists of small pink bumps that turn into wounds of pus that erupt throughout the body.
More serious complications may include inflammation of the brain and sores in the eyes that can lead to blindness. 19659002] "Today's action reflects the FDA's commitment to ensuring that the United States is ready for any public health emergency with timely medical products. , safe and effective, "said Gottlieb
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