Early tecovirimat treatment for mpox disease may benefit people with HIV

Early intervention with tecovirimat may stop an mpox infection from advancing to the stages of severe disease in people living with HIV (PWH), new research suggests.

Investigators followed a sample of PWH who received care for mpox at four Atlanta hospitals between June and October 2022. Two propensity-matched cohorts were formed: one including 56 patients who received tecovirimat therapy within 7 days of mpox symptom onset, and the other consisting of 56 patients who did not receive tecovirimat for at least 7 days after symptom onset or never received it at all.

Mpox disease progression was observed in 5.4% of patients in the early-treatment group compared with 26.8% in the late- or no-treatment group.

Although more research is needed to validate the findings, the study results support initiation of tecovirimat therapy in all PWH at the first signs of an mpox infection.