EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended extending the indication of the smallpox vaccine Imvanex to include protecting adults from monkeypox disease.
The medicine has been approved in the EU since 2013 for the prevention of smallpox. It contains an attenuated (weakened) form of the vaccinia virus called ‘modified vaccinia virus Ankara’, which is related to the smallpox virus. It was also considered a potential vaccine for monkeypox because of the similarity between the monkeypox virus and the smallpox virus. The marketing authorisation holder is Bavarian Nordic A/S…
