South Korea on Monday authorised the emergency use of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pills.
Pfizer's oral antiviral treatment, called Paxlovid, is "expected to help prevent serious deterioration of patients admitted to residential treatment centers or being treated at home," by diversifying coronavirus treatments beyond injections currently used in the field, drug safety minister Kim Gang-lip told a press briefing.
The drug will be used for adults or children 12 years or older weighing over 40 kg with mild to moderate symptoms with a high risk of developing a severe case of coronavirus due to causes such as underlying diseases.
Another oral coronavirus treatment called molnupiravir, developed by Merck known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, applied for emergency use earlier this month, but the ministry is still reviewing as they need additional info on efficacy, Kim said.
South Korea restored tough distancing curbs last week after easing them in November, after a series of record daily new infections and serious cases stretched medical services, despite a vaccination rate of over 92 per cent for those aged 18 or older.
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
Israel is poised to send troops into Rafah, the Gazan city it sees as the last bastion of Hamas, Israeli media reported on Wednesday, saying preparations were under way to evacuate war-displaced Palestinian civilians who have been sheltering there.
A Russian court on Wednesday ordered one of Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu's deputies be kept in custody on suspicion of taking bribes, the highest-profile corruption case since President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, a senior figure in the country's ruling party, met with Donald Trump on Tuesday, becoming the latest US ally seeking to establish ties with the Republican presidential candidate.
Russian missiles damaged residential buildings and injured six people in Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, early on Wednesday, Governor Oleh Synehubov said on Telegram.
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