"Three NHS sites are set to begin a pilot offering eligible patients smaller but equally effective doses of the vaccine used for the UK’s monkeypox outbreak, stretching existing supplies to protect more people," the health authority said.
A sexual health clinic in Manchester started using 0.1ml doses instead of 0.5ml doses on Monday, with two clinics in London set to follow suit shortly. The move will allow vaccinating five times more people than planned initially.
"Adopting this tried and tested technique will help to maximise the reach of our remaining stock, including the 100,000 doses due to arrive in the country next month, potentially enabling us to offer protection for many more thousands of people," HSA immunization chief Mary Ramsay said.
The US Federal Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the fractional dosing of monkeypox vaccines on August 9. The EU health regulator EMA’s emergency task force did the same for 27 EU member states last week.