Tecovirimat (marketed as TPOXX in the United States and other regions) is an antiviral drug that targets orthopoxviruses, including smallpox, monkeypox (now mpox), and cowpox. Tecovirimat inhibits the viral protein VP37, which plays a crucial role in the formation of the extracellular enveloped virus [1]. Specifically, VP37 is essential for the wrapping of intracellular mature virions with Golgi-derived membranes to form the final enveloped virions. By competitively binding to VP37, tecovirimat prevents this wrapping process.
