TOKYO (REUTERS) - Japan's Shionogi & Co said on Wednesday (Sept 29) it plans to make at least 1 million doses of a new antiviral treatment for Covid-19 for domestic use by March 2022.

The company plans to submit the drug, a protease inhibitor known as S-217622, for regulatory approval in Japan by the end of this year, Chief Executive Isao Teshirogi said at a briefing.

Shionogi started Phase II/III trials of the drug in Japan on Monday.

The company is also planning global late-stage trials ahead of filings in the United States and Europe.

The drug can be taken in pill form and is intended for patients in the early stages of Covid-19, compared with antibody treatments that have to be infused by medical staff and are reserved for more serious cases.