Tokyo, Dec 24 : An expert panel of the Japanese Health Ministry Today  authorized the use of Molnupiravir, an antiviral oral medicine to treat Covid 19 developed by the US drugmaker Merck Sharp & Dohme SA, media reported.
According to the Japanese Kyodo news agency, the decision makes the medication the first such pill to be used in Japan.
Molnupiravir has already been approved for use in several countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Earlier this week, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that as many as 200,000 pills would be distributed across the country. Last month, Japan secured a total of 1.6 million doses of Molnupiravir.(UNI)