Ensitrelvir, sold under the brand name Xocova is an

antiviral medication Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Unlike most antibiotics, antiviral drugs d ...

used as a treatment for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

. It was developed by

Shionogi is a Japanese pharmaceutical company best known for developing Crestor. Medical supply and brand name also uses katakana (シオノギ). Shionogi has business roots that date back to 1878, and was incorporated in 1919. Among the medicines pro ...

in partnership with

Hokkaido University , or , is a Japanese national university in Sapporo, Hokkaido. It was the fifth Imperial University in Japan, which were established to be the nation's finest institutions of higher education or research. Hokkaido University is considered ...

and acts as an orally active 3C-like protease inhibitor. It is taken by mouth. The most common adverse events include transient decreases in high-density lipoprotein and increases blood triglycerides.

Medical uses

Ensitrelvir is

indicated In medicine, an indication is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. There can be multiple indications to use a procedure or medication. An indication can commonly be confused with the term diagnosis. A diagnosis ...

for the treatment of

History

Ensitrelvir has reached Phase III

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s. The Japanese government is reportedly considering allowing Shionogi permission to apply for approval for medical use before the final steps of trials are completed, potentially speeding up the release for sale. This conditional early approval system has previously been used in Japan to accelerate the progression to market of other antiviral drugs targeting COVID-19, including

remdesivir Remdesivir, sold under the brand name Veklury, Text was copied from this source which is © European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged. is a broad-spectrum antiviral medication developed by the ...

and

molnupiravir Molnupiravir, sold under the brand name Lagevrio, is an antiviral medication that inhibits the replication of certain RNA viruses. It is used to treat COVID-19 in those infected by SARS-CoV-2. It is taken by mouth. Molnupiravir is a prodrug of ...

. In a study of 428 patients, viral load was reduced, but symptoms were not significantly reduced. In February 2022, the company sought emergency approval from regulators in Japan. Shionogi announced they had reached a preliminary agreement to supply 1million doses to the Japanese government once the drug is approved. The CEO said they could have capacity to make 10million doses a year.

Society and culture

Legal status

Ensitrelvir was approved for emergency use in Japan in November 2022.

Names

Ensitrelvir is the International nonproprietary name.

References

External links

* {{Portal bar , Medicine , Viruses , COVID-19 COVID-19 drug development Fluoroarenes Indazoles Chloroarenes SARS-CoV-2 main protease inhibitors Triazoles