In European countries, caregivers can now administer the vaccine just under the top layer of the skin and no longer just deep, subcutaneously. This new technique makes it possible to use a smaller quantity of vaccine, therefore to immunize more people.
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It is a technique that should allow to immunize more people. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) authorized, on Friday August 19, a new technique for injecting the vaccine against monkeypox. European countries can now administer the Imvanex vaccine just below the top layer of the skin, intradermally, and no longer just deep, subcutaneously.
The intradermal technique, which uses a lower dose of vaccine, produces the same immunity with an equivalent level of antibodies as the other method. But the risk of skin irritation is higher, the EMA warned. “National authorities may decide, as a temporary measure, to use Imvanex by intradermal injection at a lower dose to protect those at risk during the current outbreak of monkeypox, as long as the vaccine supply remains limited”said the European regulator.
The European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, stressed that this authorization was a decision “extremely important because it makes it possible to vaccinate five times more people with the stocks of vaccines we have” currently. “This guarantees better access to vaccination for people at risk and healthcare professionals”she added.