The new way of monkeypox vaccine injection is one-fifth of the original dose. It means five times as many people could get monkeypox vaccines.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday it is expanding its authorization to allow a different way to get a dose of the monkeypox vaccine due to high demand in some parts of the country.
Instead of a regular shot, providers can now use an intradermal shot between the layers of skin. The new way of vaccine injection is one-fifth of the original dose. It means five times as many people could get monkeypox vaccines.
Regulators point to a 2015 study showing that vaccination with one-fifth of the traditional dose generated a robust immune-system response comparable to that of the full dose. About 94% of people receiving the smaller dose had adequate levels of virus-fighting antibodies, compared with 98% of those receiving the full dose, according to the study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said on Tuesday that there are about 441,000 vials available that will have the potential of providing 2.2 million doses to people across the country.
Intradermal injections are delivered into the skin, while subcutaneous injections are delivered into the layer of fat underneath the skin.
The JYNNEOS vaccine has been delivered subcutaneously, but the FDA will now allow intradermal injections.
Public health leaders with Wake, Durham and Cumberland counties said they would follow direction from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
