‘I suffered and no one else needs to:’ Feds relax restrictions on monkeypox drug

For three days, Luke Brown was in the most severe pain he’s ever experienced. He had contracted monkeypox, which is now a global health emergency. He tried everything to help ease the pain, and nothing worked. He eventually found out about a drug called TPOXX, normally used to treat smallpox, that can also be effective against monkeypox symptoms. Brown talks with KYW's Jim Melwert about his experience trying to get ahold of TPOXX in the days before the CDC relaxed the process for obtaining it, what his experience with monkeypox symptoms are like, and his advice for people who are nervous about the disease or think they've been exposed: "Don't panic. Do skin scans. Get in line for a vaccine. And if you think you have this thing, talk to your doctor about TPOXX. If they get this thing, know that they don't have to suffer."

The CDC recommends vaccination for gay and bisexual men who either have a known exposure to monkeypox or have had multiple or anonymous partners in areas where monkeypox is known to be spreading. Vaccination appointments can be scheduled in Philadelphia by calling the Department of Public Health hotline at 215-685-5488.

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