Japan approves drug as antibody treatment for COVID-19

Japan has approved GlaxoSmithKline and Vir Biotechnology’s Sotrovimab as an antibody treatment for coronavirus, Health Minister Norihisa Tamura said on Monday.

The antibody treatment is for mild to moderate COVID-19 cases which do not require oxygen supplementation, GSK said when it applied for fast-track approval this month.

What is Sotrovimab?

Sotrovimab is an investigational medicine used to treat mild-to-moderate symptoms of COVID-19 in adults and children (12 years of age and older weighing at least 88 pounds [40 kg]) with positive results of direct SARS-CoV-2 viral testing, and who are at high risk of progression to severe COVID-19, including hospitalization or death. Sotrovimab is investigational because it is still being studied.