This 1997 image provided by CDC, shows the right arm and torso of a patient, whose skin displayed a number of lesions due to what had been an active case of monkeypox. Photo / File
The Monkeypox outbreak around the globe has generated a few questions around potential treatment. AP investigates the truth of some of the claims.
Pfizer received FDA approval for a new monkeypox shot the day after the US purchased millions of dollars of vaccine for the disease.
False. Pfizer does not make a monkeypox vaccine, nor did it recently receive approval for one, a company representative told the Associated Press. Jynneos, a vaccine for smallpox and monkeypox, is the only FDA-approved vaccine for monkeypox in the US. It was developed by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic.
An unprecedented outbreak of monkeypox in Europe and the US has sparked misinformation on social media about potential efforts to control spread of the disease rarely found outside of Africa.
"One case of 'MonkeyPox' was found in Massachusetts this week... In less than 48 hours the United States Government had purchased 13 million MonkeyPox vaccines for $119 million. A day later, Pfizer received FDA approval for a New Monkey Pox Vaccine," one widely shared tweet falsely claims.
Pfizer does not make a vaccine to target monkeypox, Jerica Pitts, a Pfizer spokeswoman, told the AP in an email.
Monkeypox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox but causes milder symptoms, including fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. More serious cases may result in a rash and lesions. The smallpox vaccine can be used for monkeypox.
In September 2019, the FDA approved Jynneos for use by people over the age of 18 who are at higher-risk for smallpox and monkeypox infection. Jynneos, developed by Bavarian Nordic, is the only vaccine approved by the FDA to prevent monkeypox. This vaccine is also part of the nation's stockpile in case of a public health emergency.
Last week, Bavarian Nordic announced that the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) ordered 13 million Jynneos doses that are worth $119 million. While social media users suggested the order was made because of recent monkeypox cases, the company says the order was part of an already existing contract to obtain smallpox vaccines for the national stockpile. The stockpile already contains doses of the Jynneos vaccine that were delivered under previous contracts.
"Our recent order from BARDA as you refer to has no relation whatsoever to the current monkeypox outbreak," Thomas Duschek, a spokesman for Bavarian Nordic, said in an email to the AP.
"We have worked with the US government and BARDA for almost 20 years to develop and supply a non-replicating smallpox vaccine for the national stockpile in the event of a bioterror attack or natural re-emergence of smallpox."
Suzanne Sellman, a spokeswoman for the US Department of Health and Human Services, also confirmed in an email to the AP that the BARDA purchase "was part of standard and ongoing preparedness efforts, and unrelated to specific events".
The vaccine is available to be deployed for monkeypox, Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser, said in a statement.
The latest drug approved by the FDA to treat smallpox is Tpoxx, also known as tecovirimat, which is made by Siga Technologies. While Tpoxx is approved to treat monkeypox in Europe, it hasn't been approved by the FDA to treat monkeypox.
Health officials around the world are monitoring the situation closely since, for the first time, the rare disease appears to be spreading among people who didn't travel to Africa, where monkeypox is endemic. They stress, however, that the risk to the general population is low, the AP reported.
- AP
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