Japan's Shionogi Lobbies For Approval Of Oral Drug Versus COVID-19 That Can Be Taken At-Home

In a race against time to reduce the number of patients in Japanese hospitals, an Osaka pharmaceutical company is seeking approval for a COVID-19 home remedy pill that can help alleviate congested hospitals.

Shionogi, a Japanese company focused on creating pharmaceutical drugs, has started Phase 1 trials for an antiviral pill that is aimed to treat people with light-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms at home, the Japan Times reported.

The Osaka-based firm is aiming at creating an antiviral pill that can be used by non-severe symptomatic COVID-19 carriers, keeping their medical condition from worsening without over-congesting hospitals.

The firm has been doing clinical trials for the drug since July and is hoping that the Ministry of Health will fast-track the approval of the drug, which won’t require them to finish clinical trials before putting the drug on the market, according to Nikkei Asia.

Concerns have been mounting across Japan due to the rising COVID-19 cases, with over 83,000 new cases popping up in Japan over the last seven days, according to the World Health Organization.

There are fears of overcrowded hospitals all across the nation, as well as a lack of capacity for new patients that have been coming into health facilities for the past few days, according to the Ashai Shimbun.

The only treatment available in Japan for infected people with light to moderate symptoms continues to be a cocktail therapy that combines two antibodies and can only be administered in hospitals

Shionogi’s COVID-19 drug is tracked to inhibit the enzyme used by the novel coronavirus to keep it from replicating and is hoping to be effective in reducing the infectious damage that COVID-19 can cause on people.

Shionogi is one of the many firms looking to create an at-home pill to help reduce the need for hospitals in COVID-19 cases. Fujifilm Holding is currently working on the antiviral drug Avigan, which is in Phase 3 testing.

Similarly, U.S. company Pfizer and the Japanese arm of the U.S. company Merck is currently working on an at-home antiviral drug. Merck’s drug is at Phase 3 of testing and is expected to field its results by September.