As the monkeypox outbreak spreads, Siga Technologies’ oral smallpox antiviral, Tpoxx, appears to be in high demand.
The company on Thursday said it has secured approximately $13 million in orders of the drug, including an $11 million procurement order from two new countries and a $2 million order from a country in the Asia Pacific region that already has a contract established for the pills.
Phil Gomez, CEO of Siga, said in a statement the company has received a “large and ongoing number” of inquiries about accessing Tpoxx. The CEO advocates for stockpiling the drug to increase preparation for future outbreaks.
“By increasing both the scale and scope of Tpoxx stockpiling, countries can be better prepared for the outbreak risks of smallpox, monkeypox, and other viruses,” Gomez said.
Under the new contracts, Siga plans to deliver approximately $4 million of the antiviral within the next 45 days. The remaining $7 million will be delivered in 2023.
As for the $2 million order from the existing customer in Asia, the company has already delivered the order, bringing the amount Siga has delivered to the country to approximately $5 million in Tpoxx so far this quarter.
Tpoxx was originally approved back in 2018 to treat smallpox. In January, the European Medicines Agency gave the drug an expanded label that included monkeypox and cowpox.
The antiviral competes with Chimerix’s Tembexa, which Emergent BioSolutions just announced it would be purchasing. Meanwhile, Tpoxx just won FDA clearance in an intravenous formulation as well as the oral delivery system.
Aside from Siga's antiviral, Bavarian Nordic has also seen an increase in demand for its vaccine Jynneos. The shot is approved to prevent smallpox in Europe, but in the U.S., it also carries the monkeypox indication.