Tpoxx: Oxford scientists behind Covid breakthrough start first monkeypox treatment study

British scientists behind groundbreaking Covid Recovery trial turn attention to latest information international public health emergency – Monkeypox.

of oxford university The academics have become the first researchers in the world to start a clinical trial evaluating a treatment for a virus in humans.

They want to find out if the drug can help relieve symptoms in infected people.

Researchers plan to recruit 500 people from across the UK to participate in a trial to test whether the antiviral drug Tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, can help people be sick for less time. I’m here.

This drug was created to treat smallpox and prevents the virus from leaving infected cells and from spreading in the body.

UK health authorities obtained approval for the drug earlier this year, based on the results of an initial study in animals and evidence of its safety in human volunteers.

It is currently offered to patients with serious complications who are being treated in hospital.

To date, there have been no clinical trials to see if Tpoxx helps monkeypox patients recover from the disease.

So the researchers behind the Recovery trial during the Covid pandemic have started trials to test the drug in humans.

The platinum trial will be the world’s first randomized controlled trial of monkeypox treatment in humans.

This means that half of the participants (with a confirmed monkeypox diagnosis but not sick enough to require hospital treatment) will receive Tpoxx and the other half will receive placebo or placebo. means

Most people with monkeypox are eligible to enroll in trials in which they take the drug or placebo twice daily for 14 days.

They will assess whether taking medications can reduce symptoms (including the length of time people have painful skin lesions) or reduce the time people need to isolate. For this reason, they will be tracked for one month.

Researchers will also look to see if the drug can reduce the time a person tests positive for the virus.

Vaccines developed for smallpox may reduce the risk of contracting monkeypox, but there is currently no proven treatment to hasten the recovery of those who develop the disease.

The study, commissioned and funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIHR), recruited its first participants on Friday.

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Sir Peter Hovey, Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health at the University of Oxford, said:

“We need conclusive evidence that tecovirimato is safe and effective for current and future patients worldwide diagnosed with monkeypox.

He said the early data were “promising,” but added that “only randomized clinical trials will provide the necessary level of evidence to treat patients with confidence.” rice field.

Professor Lucy Chappell, Chief Executive Officer of the NIHR and Chief Scientific Advisor to the Department of Health and Human Services, said the platinum study was “a very important tool for investigating monkeypox treatments for people outside of hospitals.” It’s an important next step,” he said.

“It is important to invest in the development, refinement and evaluation of treatments for this disease,” she added.

On Monday, the UK Health Security Agency began a pilot to provide small doses of monkeypox vaccine to eligible patients amid a global shortage of jabs.

There have been over 3,000 UK cases since the start of the outbreak, with most of these confirmed in the UK.

What are the symptoms of monkeypox?

It usually takes 5 to 21 days for the first symptoms of infection to appear.

The first symptoms of monkeypox are:

• high temperature

• headache

• muscle pain

• lower back pain

• swollen glands

• shivering (chills)

• exhaustion

The rash often appears on the face before it spreads, usually 1 to 5 days after the first symptoms.

Sometimes confused with chickenpox, the rash begins as raised patches that develop into small, fluid-filled blisters. The blisters eventually become scabs that then flake off.

Symptoms usually disappear in 2 to 4 weeks.