A health ministry panel has delayed giving a stamp of approval to Shionogi’s COVID-19 anti-viral pill, concluding that it needs more data before making a judgment on its efficacy.
The delay is a blow to one of Japan's largest drugmakers and also raises questions about the process for drugs to gain fast-track approvals in times of emergency.
The panel will “continue to deliberate” before a decision on the drug’s fate is made, panel chair Shigeru Ota said at the end of a two-hour meeting on Wednesday, which about 40 experts attended.