U.S. to buy antiviral drug Tpoxx

The U.S. government will buy Siga Technologies Inc's $26 million worth of intravenous formulation of antiviral drug Tpoxx, the company said on Tuesday, as the country fights an outbreak of monkeypox cases.

The order for the IV treatment is expected to be delivered by the company next year, which would be a vital option for patients unable to swallow the oral pill because monkeypox symptoms include rashes and blisters in the mouth.

More than 27,800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in over 80 countries where the disease is not endemic. More than 7,500 cases have been reported in the United States.

The oral and intravenous formulations of Tpoxx are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of smallpox, but do not yet have clearance to treat monkeypox.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided guidance for its use under 'expanded access' as an investigational drug. The government has decided to fund a post-marketing field study for the intravenous form of the drug, according to the company.

Siga has received multiple orders for its oral medicine from Canada and countries in Europe and Asia-Pacific.