The European Union has approved a smallpox vaccine for the prevention of monkeypox.
The commission, following a recommendation by the European Medicines Agency, has granted authorization for the vaccine, known as Imvanex, to treat monkeypox in addition to smallpox.
“The European Commission has extended the marketing authorisation for the company’s smallpox vaccine, Imvanex, to include protection from monkeypox, Bavarian Nordic revealed in a statement on Monday.
The committee recommended the approval of the vaccines a week ago after reviewing data from several animal studies which showed protection against the monkeypox virus in non-human primates vaccinated with Imavanex.
The body also said they had received orders for 1.5 million doses of the shot from a European country and was scheduled to begin distribution in the fourth quarter.
Since monkeypox was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO) the EU has taken measures to curb its spread.
At least 16,000 monkeypox cases have been reported from 75 countries, with Europe accounting for 80 per cent of confirmed cases worldwide.
