Mpox antiviral treatment tecovirimat does not speed up lesion healing

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-04-17 07:00

International

This is a colorized transmission electron microscopic image of mpox virus particles (green) that had been cultivated and purified from cell culture.CDC/ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

The antiviral drug, Tecovirimat, has been made available for the treatment of mpox, but it was approved without data on how effective it actually is in treating the more dangerous variety of mpox, known as clade I. Now, a trial conducted during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has found it does not speed up lesion healing, with lesions in patients treated with the drug healing in seven days compared to eight days with placebo. The researchers say the findings highlight the importance of conducting clinical trials of investigational treatments during outbreaks, including trials of products that may have been licensed in the absence of such research.

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Journal/
conference: New England Journal of Medicine

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Institut National de la Recherche Biomédicale, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), National Institutes of Health, USA

Funder: Supported by funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), including the Division of Intramural Research of NIAID, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under contract no. HHSN272201800013C, and funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, under contract no. 75N91019D00024; SIGA donated tecovirimat and placebo pills for use in the trial.

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