Fears about shortages of monkeypox vaccine are focusing attention on the more than 1 million doses of a smallpox treatment in the Strategic National Stockpile that experts say could be an effective backup but that's hard to access.
Why it matters: TPOXX (Tecovirimat) is FDA-approved to treat smallpox and was tested on animals with monkeypox, which is a related virus. But because it's unlicensed and classed as an investigational new drug, providers responding to the outbreak have to make requests to the Centers for Disease Control when they use it, leading to paperwork burdens and delays.
