Smallpox vaccine usage against monkeypox is approved by the EU.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently deemed the spread of monkeypox a global health emergency, prompting the European Union's executive body to approve a smallpox vaccine for use against the disease.

According to a statement released by Bavarian Nordic on Monday, the European Commission "has extended the marketing authorization for the company's smallpox vaccine, Imvanex, to include protection from monkeypox" in accordance with a suggestion made by the EU's medicines watchdog.

All member states of the European Union, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, are covered by the permission.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) evaluates medicines scientifically and makes recommendations regarding whether or not they should be commercialized.

However, the EMA lacks the authority required by EU legislation to actually approve marketing in the various EU member states. The authorizing body, the European Commission, bases its legally obligatory decision on the EMA's recommendation.