Japan's Shionogi says COVID-19 pill shows rapid clearance of virus

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, walk at a shopping district on the first day after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions imposed on Tokyo and 17 other prefectures, in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon

TOKYO (Reuters) - An experimental treatment from Shionogi & Co Ltd has shown rapid clearance of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new data, the Japanese drug maker said on Sunday.

The pill, S-217622, "demonstrated rapid clearance of the infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus", Shionogi said in a statement, citing Phase-2b results from the Phase II/III clinical trial of the drug.