Japan's health ministry gave fast-track approval for Pfizer’s oral drug for COVID-19 on Thursday, as the government hopes a new treatment option will help alleviate the burden on a health care system that’s approaching the brink of collapse amid the omicron-driven sixth wave.
The drug is the second oral antiviral pill that has received the panel’s approval for COVID-19 treatment after Merck & Co.’s molanupiravir. The approval came following the ministry panel's approval earlier on Thursday.
The drug, paxlovid, is to be used for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 in people 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kg and are at high risk of developing severe symptoms that could require hospitalization. Pfizer Japan Inc. had filed for the drug’s approval with the health ministry on Jan. 14.