Xinhua
22 Nov 2022, 17:35 GMT+10
TOKYO, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Japan's health ministry granted emergency approval to Japanese drugmaker Shionogi & Co.'s COVID-19 drug on Tuesday, making it the first domestically developed oral medicine against the virus.
The oral drug, Xocova, for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms, was given fast-track approval in Japan by a health ministry panel. The move comes as the country has recently seen a rebound in the number of daily coronavirus cases.
"I expect it will contribute to coronavirus measures as another choice of treatment," Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato told reporters.
Two other oral medications for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms, both developed by foreign pharmaceutical firms, have already been authorized for use in Japan.
Japan reported 121,460 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, up 79,036 from the figure of the previous day, with Hokkaido posting 11,394 new cases, a record-high daily figure for the northernmost Japan prefecture.
Get a daily dose of Japan Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Japan Herald.
More InformationHONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
(Photo credit: Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Journeyman Chan Kim fired a career-low, 9-under-par...
New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar urged Indian businesses to expand globally, not only in markets but...
Representatives of women's organizations and networks that were part of the first delegation of gender experts at the talks in Havana...
(Photo credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images) Tobin Heath, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion with the United States...
London [UK], July 11 (ANI): Following a solid day with the ball, which included two prized wickets of openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley,...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Some 32 percent of global semiconductor production could face climate change-related copper supply disruptions...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks rebounded Tuesday with all the major indices gaining ground. Markets in the UK, Europe and Canada...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Financial markets kicked off the week on a cautious note as President Donald Trump rolled out a fresh round...
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: At a two-day summit over the weekend, the BRICS bloc of emerging economies issued a joint declaration condemning...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...