Amid rising cases of monkeypox, the University of Oxford has launched a trial called PLATINUM to test the efficacy of a drug against monkeypox. Initially, Siga′s Tecovirimat, marketed as Tpoxx, was used to treat diseases that are caused by the family of orthopoxviruses, including smallpox, monkeypox, and cowpox.

The UK government has funded the project that will be conducted under the leadership of Dr. Peter Horby, Professor of Emerging Infections and Global Health at the University of Oxford and the director of the new Pandemic Sciences Institute, with a 3.7-million-pound grant. Over 80 countries, where the virus is not endemic, have reported more than 40,000 confirmed cases of the contagious virus. Out of these 80 countries, 35% of the cases are reported from the USA. The virus is mainly transmitted through close human contact with the infected person. The infected person begins to show symptoms of fever, rash, puss-filled skin lesions, and swollen lymph nodes in the first two days. It generally takes two to four weeks for a person to recover fully from the monkeypox infection.

In the study, scientists will observe the healing time of skin and mucosal lesions in patients to find the impact of tecovirimat on the treatment. Along with this, they will also study the reduction in time taken until throat and lesion swabs turn negative after the medication.

(Source: https://www.livemint.com/science/health/oxford-scientists-launch-gold-trial-for-monkeypox-treatment-11661348550696.html )