The drug tecovirimat is currently in use for the treatment of mpox — the disease caused by monkeypox virus — that spread worldwide in 2022 . Existing drugs — developed to treat other viral infections — also target this cellular protein . When tested against a range of poxviruses, these drugs were found to have antiviral effects in all cases .
Treatments for poxviruses — including those causing mpox and smallpox — may already exist in licensed drugs
