Japan to Buy Shionogi's COVID-19 Pill for Extra 1 M. People

Tokyo, Dec. 13 (Jiji Press)--Japanese health minister Katsunobu Kato said Tuesday that his ministry has signed an contract to procure Shionogi & Co.'s <4507> Xocova COVID-19 pill for an additional one million people.

The ministry concluded the deal because more medical institutions will be allowed to prescribe the oral treatment from Thursday.

Shionogi plans to deliver the extra amount to the government within this month.

The ministry gave emergency approval of Xocova last month, making it the first domestically developed oral COVID-19 treatment available in the country.

The government had signed a deal with Shionogi to procure Xocova for one million people. The drug had been administered to about 2,600 people by Monday.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]