The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said Thursday that it is discussing with a manufacturer of the vaccine against human smallpox to examine the possibility of using it against monkeypox, after the recent appearance of cases.
The EMA indicated that it contacted the laboratory that produces the Imvanex vaccine, against smallpox, “as a precaution” and thus ensure that there are sufficient reserves.
“Despite the unprecedented spread in Europe, this is not currently a public health emergency,” Marco Cavaleri, head of the EMA’s vaccination strategy, told a news conference.
Monkeypox is an often benign disease, but the recent appearance of cases in non-endemic areas, especially in Europe, but also in North America and the Middle East, has raised concerns.
For a month, the World Health Organization (WHO) detected more than 550 cases in 30 countries where this disease was not common.
Considered less dangerous and contagious, the monkeypox virus is similar to that of human smallpox, which has been eradicated since the 1980s, when vaccination campaigns ceased.
In 2013, the EMA authorized the Imvanex vaccine, manufactured by the Danish laboratory Bavarian Nordic, which did not then request an authorization to use it against monkeypox.
Animal trial data show that Imvanex is “effective” against monkeypox, Cavaleri said.
dk / cvo / eb / eg
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