Emergent BioSolutions' smallpox vaccine is now FDA-approved for the prevention of mpox, the drugmaker said Aug. 29.
The vaccine, ACAM2000, is administered through 15 rapid jabs that "should be vigorous enough so that a drop of blood appears at the vaccination site," according to the drug's label. ACAM2000 was first approved in 2007 for people at high risk for smallpox, and its new indication is for those at high risk for mpox.
The first FDA-approved vaccine for mpox, Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos, was in short supply during the 2022 outbreak, leading the FDA to issue an emergency use authorization to split one Jynneos dose into up to five doses.
After the World Health Organization declared a new outbreak, Bavarian Nordic said Aug. 17 it is ramping up production of the vaccine.