OMAHA- A trial testing the safety and effectiveness of a drug for the treatment of monkeypox will be explored by 60 sites nationally, UNMC is one of them.

The drug, called tecovirimat or TPOXX, already is being given to patients with monkeypox, said Dr. Sara Bares, an associate professor in UNMC’s infectious diseases division.

The drug can be obtained only through the CDC, under the agency’s expanded access investigational new drug protocol. The drug is approved for use with smallpox, which is in the same family as monkeypox.

The purpose fo the study is to determine whether the drug is in fact effective in treating monkeypox and, if so, who would benefit most, Bares said. They also want to see how much resistance the virus poses to the drug.

The researchers hope to enroll about 500 people. The phase 3 trial is being led by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, a national network. It’s sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. UNMC is the only study site listed in Nebraska.

One challenge will be to enroll enough participants. Reports of new cases in the U.S. have slowed considerably since peaking in August. Nebraska has had 31 confirmed cases out of 28,302 nationwide.

For information about participating at UNMC, contact Maureen Kubat at mo.kubat@unmc.edu or 402-559-4408; or Jennifer O’Neill at jloneill@unmc.edu or 402-559-4312.

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