The medicine tecovirimat was originally developed against smallpox and has shown to have an effect on mpox in certain patient groups. But a new study shows that for the large group, the medicine has no effect at all, reports Vetenskapsradion.
This is unfortunate since we had hoped that it would work and have a good effect for many, says Niklas Arnberg, professor of virology at Umeå University and secretary-general of the Virus and Pandemic Fund.
The study of 600 patients shows, however, that tecovirimat has some effect for some patient groups. In patients who also have immunodeficiency diseases, the effect is visible, even among those where the medicine was administered early.
One had wished and hoped for better results, but with that said, maybe it's still the case that it has some effect if it's given early, says Niklas Arnberg to Vetenskapsradion.
