Japanese drug firm Shionogi to apply for Covid-19 pill approval after trials show ‘reduces virus multiplying in body’
- ‘Extremely good’ trial results show pill effective in reducing coronavirus; if approved will be first such pill developed by a Japanese drug maker
- Drug, developed for mild-to-moderate cases, is effective against Omicron; aim is to supply Japan with around half a million doses by end of month
Japanese pharmaceutical firm Shionogi & Co. said Monday it is looking to apply for approval of its oral Covid-19 drug as early as next week after mid-phase clinical trials showed it was effective in reducing the coronavirus in the body.
The results of “Phase 2a” clinical trials of the drug known as S-217622 are “extremely good,” Shionogi President Isao Teshirogi said during a press conference. If approved, it would be the first such pill developed by a Japanese drug maker.
The drug was developed for mild-to-moderate coronavirus cases, regardless of whether patients are at risk of hospitalisation. It is believed to prevent the virus from multiplying in the body.
In an analysis of 47 patients with mild-to-moderate Covid-19 symptoms, Shionogi found that subjects who took the drug orally once a day for five days showed rapid reductions in viral load and a tendency toward improvement in symptoms compared with those who were given a placebo.
There were no cases of symptoms worsening in the group that received the drug, while two in the group which took the placebo developed severe symptoms.
