Meeting of the Committee on the Current State of Research, Development, and Stockpiling of Smallpox Medical Countermeasures

This is a closed session, virtual meeting of the Committee on the Current State of Research, Development, and Stockpiling of Smallpox Medical Countermeasures.

The meeting is an activity of an ad hoc committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine charged with conducting a study to examine lessons learned from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and mpox multi-country outbreak to inform an evaluation of the current state of research, development, and stockpiling of smallpox medical countermeasures (MCMs).

The committee will consider how the COVID-19 pandemic and the mpox multi-country outbreak can inform improvements to smallpox readiness and response, including the availability of smallpox MCMs and the ability to meet potential demand.

The committee will further examine the current state of MCMs for the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of smallpox, including:

• How the mpox outbreak altered assumptions about the efficacy and utility of smallpox MCMs
• The continued role of live Variola virus for research and public health purposes
• Implications for the composition of smallpox MCMs in the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS)

The benefits and risks of scientific and technological advances on smallpox readiness and response will be addressed and the committee will identify key priorities in research and development of smallpox MCMs.

Building on the Institute of Medicine’s previous reports, Assessment of Future Scientific Needs for Live Variola Virus (1999) and Live Variola Virus: Considerations for Continuing Research (2009), and a review of existing literature, analyses, and other expert and public input, the committee will develop a report with its findings and conclusions on priorities for additional research or activities to improve the U.S. Government readiness and response posture against smallpox, and on the composition of the SNS to ensure appropriate smallpox MCM response options.

Please visit the National Academies’ Meeting 5 of the Committee on the Current State of Research, Development, and Stockpiling of Smallpox Medical Countermeasures event page for more information.