The United States health authorities announced the conduct of clinical trials pTo test different dosing strategies of the Jynneos Monkeypox Vaccine, amid discussions about its effectiveness.
The trial will cover 200 adults aged 18 to 50 across the country and is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the AFP news agency reported.
The Jynneos Vaccinemanufactured by Bavarian Nordic, based in Denmark, It was approved in the United States for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox in people over 18 years of age.
However, although it is encouraged that the higher risk group, men who have sex with men, get vaccinatedthere are no certainties about the effectiveness of this immunizer.
What does the trial consist of?
The new trial is not designed to produce an estimate of efficacy, but rather to measure the immune response of different dosage levels and methods of administration.
“NIAID’s Jynneos trial will provide important insights into the immunogenicity, safety, and tolerability of alternative dosing approaches that would expand the current vaccine supply,” NIAID Director Anthony Fauci said in a statement.
The vaccine is based on an attenuated virus which is modified so that it cannot replicate and is given in two doses 28 days apart.
A first group of volunteers will be injected subcutaneously and a second you will receive injections intradermally, that is, between the layers of the skin.
This last strategy is intended to expand the availability of vaccines because it uses a fifth of the standard dose, added AFP.
a third group also rwill receive intradermal injections, but half of the dosage level of the second group.
The scientists assess maximal immune responses and compare the secondary effects between the members of the different groups.
The administration of President Joe Biden has bet heavily on the Jynneos vaccine to curb the spread of monkeypox, which has infected more than 20,000 people in the United States since last May.
The virus outbreak
The current global outbreak primarily affects gay and bisexual men.
Historically, the virus has spread through direct contact with injuries, bodily fluids, and respiratory droplets, and sometimes through indirect contamination via surfaces such as shared bedding.
However, in this outbreak there is preliminary evidence that sexual transmission may play a role.
The virus causes painful skin lesions and has flu-like symptoms.
Most people recover completely, but the disease can cause serious complications, including bacterial infections, brain swelling, and death.
