EU regulator considers clearing smallpox shot for monkeypox

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) — The European Medicines Agency says it will begin reviewing data to decide if a smallpox vaccine made by the pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic might also be authorized for monkeypox, amid a growing outbreak of the disease across the continent. In a statement on Tuesday, the EU drug regulator noted that the vaccine, known as Imvanex in Europe but sold as Jynneos in the U.S., is already cleared for use against monkeypox by American regulators. In Europe, the vaccine is only authorized in adults for the prevention of smallpox, which is related to monkeypox.