Shionogi launches highly touted flu drug in Japan

A month after gaining approval, Japanese pharma company Shionogi (TYO: 4507) has launched the single-dose flu drug Xofluza (baloxavir marboxil) in its home country.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved the drug in February for treatment of influenza types A and B, it having been reviewed under a fast-track process that the ministry introduced in 2015.

Xofluga’s approval garnered attention partly because patients require just a single oral dose, whereas they take Roche’s (ROG: SIX) Tamiflu (oseltamivir) – currently the leading antiviral on the market - for five days. The times it takes to alleviate symptoms is similar with both drugs.