Japan’s Health Ministry on Thursday granted fast-track approval for Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 drug, Paxlovid, to treat patients with mild symptoms amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus fueled by the Omicron variant in the country.
The ministry said in a statement that it has secured 2 million courses of treatment with the U.S.-based drugmaker Pfizer, of which 40,000 pills have already been imported in advance. The remaining courses of treatment will be delivered in late February.
