Scientists in Britain are the first in the world to set in motion a clinical trial to develop a treatment for monkeypox in humans.
It is hoped that 500 people across the UK will take part in the trial to test whether Tecovirimat, otherwise known as Tpoxx, can have a positive effect.
Researchers from the University of Oxford, who were also a crucial part of the Covid Recovery trial, want to establish whether an antiviral drug can aid reduce symptoms among those infected with the virus.
The drug, initially developed to help against the smallpox virus, works by stopping the virus from escaping the cell it has infected so that it does not spread to to other cells throughout the body.
After health officials in the UK licensed the drug earlier in the year, the drug has been administered to patients who are being treated in hospital with major health issues. However, there has yet to be a clinical trial of the drug to see whether it can aid in the fight against monkeypox.
The Platinum trial will be the first randomised controlled trial of a treatment for monkeypox in humans in the world. Half of the patients taking part will have a confirmed diagnosis of monkeypox but will not require hospital care, while the other half will be administered a placebo, or dummy drug.
The first participant of the study, commissioned and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), was recruited on Friday.
Promising
Sir Peter Horby, professor of emerging infections and global health at the University of Oxford, said: “Monkeypox is a distressing and sometimes dangerous infection.
“For the benefit of current and future patients worldwide who have been diagnosed with monkeypox, we need definitive evidence that tecovirimat is safe and effective.
“Although the early data on Tecovirimat are promising, only a randomised clinical trial will provide the level of evidence we need to treat patients with confidence. Platinum will provide that evidence.”
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief executive of the NIHR and chief scientific adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care, said: “This study is a very important next step towards looking at treatments for monkeypox for those being outside of hospital.
“It’s crucial that we invest in developing, refining and evaluating treatments for this disease.”
SEE ALSO: Children Under 10 in London to be Offered Polio Vaccine
