A Japanese health ministry panel on Friday recommended approval of the COVID-19 antiviral pill developed by Merck & Co Inc , part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's plan to roll out new treatments by year-end as concerns rise about the Omicron variant.
A view of the Merck & Co. campus in Linden, New Jersey March 9, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff ZelevanskyTOKYO, Dec 24 - A Japanese health ministry panel on Friday recommended approval of the COVID-19 antiviral pill developed by Merck & Co Inc
, part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's plan to roll out new treatments by year-end as concerns rise about the Omicron variant. The panel's decision sets the stage for shipments of 200,000 doses across the country from this weekend, based on preparations announced earlier by Kishida. "I'm convinced the distribution of this drug is a major step forward for our nation's COVID-19 handling," health minister Shigeyuki Goto told reporters after the decision, adding that some medical institutions and pharmacies will start receiving the pill as soon as next Monday.Japan is betting heavily on oral treatments to keep serious infections and deaths at bay should a feared sixth wave of the pandemic emerge.
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