Tecovirimat
Tecovirimat, sold under the brand name Tpoxx among others, is an antiviral medication with activity against orthopoxviruses such as smallpox and mpox. In 2018 it became the first antipoxviral drug approved in the United States. The drug works by blocking cellular transmission of the virus, thus preventing the disease. It is an inhibitor of the orthopoxvirus VP37 envelope wrapping protein. Tecovirimat has been effective in laboratory testing; it has been shown to protect animals from mpox and rabbitpox and causes no serious side effects in humans. Tecovirimat was first used for treatment in December 2018, after a laboratory-acquired vaccinia virus infection. Two million doses of tecovirimat are stockpiled in the US Strategic National Stockpile should an orthopoxvirus-based bioterror attack occur. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers it to be a first-in-class medication. Medical uses In the United States, tecovirimat is indicated for the treatment of human smallpox disease. In the European Union it is indicated for the treatment of smallpox, mpox, and cowpox. Mechanism of action Tecovirimat inhibits the function of a major envelope protein required for the production of extracellular virus. The drug prevents the virus from leaving an infected cell, hindering the spread of the virus