As the U.S. creeps toward 10,000 monkeypox cases, the HHS ordered $26 million worth of Tpoxx IV fluid, a monkeypox treatment that's difficult for physicians to order, according to an Aug. 9 press release.
Tpoxx isn't fully authorized to treat monkeypox, but the CDC named it an "investigational drug" Aug. 3, which allowed physicians to prescribe the treatment but only after they signed up for the clinical trial and filled out each patient's forms, which some said takes three to four hours.
In an Aug. 3 article, FDA officials reaffirmed their decision to wait on authorizing Tpoxx for monkeypox, which is available in pill and IV fluid form, reasoning that it's only been tested in animals.
A supplier of the fluid option, New York City-based Siga Technologies, plans to deliver the shipment in 2023.