Siga Technologies announced on Tuesday that it would supply its antiviral therapy, Tpoxx, to Morocco.
This move comes in response to a request from Morocco’s health ministry, aimed at protecting the country against potential outbreaks of mpox.
Tpoxx has been accessible in Africa through clinical trials and the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency use access protocol to manage the ongoing mpox outbreak.
However, this new contract marks the first commercial sale of the therapy by Siga Technologies on the African continent.
The antiviral therapy is approved for smallpox treatment in the United States and Canada.
In Europe and the United Kingdom, it is authorized for smallpox, mpox, cowpox, and complications resulting from the vaccinia virus.
Last month, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) expressed concern, stating that the mpox outbreak remains uncontrolled.
This follows the WHO’s declaration of the outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern in August after detecting a new variant of the virus.
So far this year, Morocco has confirmed two cases of mpox, according to the WHO.
The country is taking proactive measures to prevent further spread and ensure public safety.
