Monkeypox Antiviral Drug: What is Tecovirimat's Role in the Virus’ Mutation?

A doctor from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently said a mutation could enable the monkeypox virus to become resistant to an antiviral drug used for its treatment.

A Newsweek report said that the Tecovirimat or TPOXX drug was approved in 2018 to treat smallpox, another orthopoxvirus, and the CDC made it easier recently for doctors to use the drug for the treatment of the infectious disease.

The US Food and Drug Administration warned this week that studies that the regulator reviewed determine several genetic pathways for orthopoxviruses to become resistant to Tecovirimat and that a lot of the resistance pathways need just one amino acid change to lead to a "substantial reduction in tecovirimat antiviral activity.

The FDA also said that the safety and efficacy of the TPOXX drug to treat monkeypox in humans had not been established.

TPOXX for Monkeypox Patients

The drug is being made available to monkeypox patients via a trial carried out by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases or NIAID, and the FDA said that patients with this disease need to enroll in the randomized, controlled clinical trial of NIAID when achievable to facilitate the assessment of the efficacy, safety, and resistance of the TPOXX profile.

Speaking during a webinar hosted by the CDC and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, Dr. Sapna Bamrah Morris of the CDC explained that health officials are aware that a point mutation could result in resistance to tecovirimat, or TPOXX, which is the primary antiviral being used.

Also, Bamrah Morris does not want to encourage people to use the antiviral drug when indicated, although they do want to think about when it is specified.

And that, indeed, is for severely immunocompromised patients, specifically with the risk population with those infected with HIV and not quite controlled.

Immunocompromised Patients

Essentially, lymphomics, leukemics, generalized malignancy, and solid organ transplant, among others, the list goes on for the type of general kind of immunocompromised individuals.

CBS News was the first to report on the comments of Bamrah Morris. Furthermore, a spokesperson for the FDA said it has no additional comment besides what's posted on its website.

This week, the US recorded and reported its first deadly monkeypox case. During the time, the CDC said the patient had been severely immunocompromised and hospitalized, a separate report from Newsweek specified.

The health agency added people who are severely immunocompromized and suspect they have monkeypox are encouraged to seek medical care and treatment early and stay under the care of a provider during their illness.

Related information about the Monkeypox Mutation is shown on MedCram's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Monkeypox in Science Times.