Omicron: Japanese pharma giant Shionogi joins race to find vaccine for new COVID-19 strain

As the new variant of coronavirus, Omicron has emerged last week, a Japanese pharmaceutical giant has started developing a drug for the highly infectious variant, reported Kyodo News on Tuesday. According to media reports, pharmaceutical firm Shionogi & Co has started preparations for manufacturing active ingredients for the medicine. As per the company's statement released on Sunday, it has started preparation in the early stage in order to prevent the conditions that arose when the delta variant become dominant earlier this year. According to the Osaka-based firm, the new variant is "highly transmissible" and pose an "increased risk of reinfection to people who have previously caught the deadly virus.

Notably, in the third week of November, scientists in South Africa have identified a new version of the Coronavirus called B.1.1529, or Omicron. With the detection of the new variant in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province, the World Health Organisation also sent a delegation of experts to collab with the scientists to fasten the action needed to curb the spread of the infection. Despite taking swift action by the global health agency, it has infected people of several countries like Australia, the UK, Portugal, India and others. It should be mentioned that Japan has not encountered any cases of the new variant until now. 

Shionogi is also developing an oral drug

Meanwhile, the Japanese drug manufacturing company said that it is conducting a final clinical trial for its COVID-19 vaccine that would be taken by any individual with its own. As per the firm, the vaccine would be launched by March next year. It would be the first indigenous produced vaccine for the respiratory infection caused by the virus. Besides developing a vaccine, Shionogi is also developing an oral drug for patients with mild and moderate COVID-19 symptoms that would prevent them from worsening, reported Kyodo News. "Now, the company has started investigating whether the drug would be effective in the Omicron variant or not," Kyodo News quoted an official as saying. 

"We will make arrangements so that (our products) can counter to the Omicron variant," the official said, adding the organisation is putting preference on bringing its coronavirus vaccine to the market.

Japan closes its international border from today

Amid rising concerns of the new COVID-19 variant, the Japanese Prime Minister has temporarily suspended the entry of all foreign visitors, AP reported on Monday. According to the announcement of PM Fumio Kishida, the new order will be effective from November 30, Tuesday. "We are taking the step as an emergency precaution to prevent a worst-case scenario in Japan. The measure will be effective from Tuesday," news agency AP quoted Kishida as saying. Meanwhile, Kishida, during the announcement, urged the people to adhere to basic COVID-19 protocols such as wearing face masks, maintaining proper distance and washing of hands until further details of the new Omicron variant are known.

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