Asian Tech Press (Dec 27) -- South Korea has approved the emergency use authorization (EUA) for U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 oral antiviral drug Paxlovid on Monday.

South Korean drug safety agency, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), said Monday it approved EUA for Pfizer's oral antiviral drug Paxlovid, making it the country's first approved oral COVID-19 treatment drug.

According to a report by Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency applied to the MFDS for an emergency authorization review of Paxlovid last Wednesday. And the drug safety agency made the decision after consideration and deliberation today.

Paxlovid is intended for use by adults and children over 12 years of age whose condition is likely to deteriorate into a severe one, and is to be taken for five days, two drops per day.

The MFDS predicts that Pfizer's COVID-19 oral antiviral drug will be effective in patients infected with the Omicron variant.

The Korean regulator said Paxlovid has been shown to have antimicrobial effects on a variety of mutant strains other than Omicron. And it said, Pfizer will submit the results of the trial against the Omicron variant after receiving emergency use authorization.

The report also said Korean health regulators have signed a pre-purchase contract with Pfizer to buy Paxlovid for 362,000 patients, which will be adopted as early as mid-January.