Japan on Thursday authorised the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat coronavirus patients, the government said, with an eye to approving another medication Avigan this month, AFP reports.
This makes Japan the second country to approve the drug after US regulators authorised it on Friday for emergency use against severe cases of Covid-19.
"Remdesivir was approved under exceptional measures," a health, labour and welfare ministry official said.
"It was our country's first such approval for the treatment of coronavirus patients," the official told AFP.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said last week the government was getting ready to give a speedy green light to the experimental drug developed by US firm Gilead Sciences.
The US go-ahead came after a major clinical trial showed remdesivir - originally developed to treat Ebola - shortened the time to recovery in some patients by a third.
The difference in mortality rate was not statistically significant.
Remdesivir, which is administered by injection, was already available to some patients who enrolled in clinical trials around the world.
UN pleads for $4.7 billion more
The United Nations on Thursday issued a new appeal for $4.7 billion in funding to "protect millions of lives and stem the spread of coronavirus in fragile countries", AFP reports.
"I would like to see some of the wealthiest people in the world who are making money right now step up and be generous," David Beasley, director of the UN's World Food Programme, told a videoconference.
Beasley urged the world's wealthiest people and companies to "step up in a major, major way," saying that "if they do, we'll all benefit - if they don't, everyone has to pay a price."
The money is on top of the $2 billion the UN already called for when it launched its global humanitarian response plan on 25 March. It has received about half of that money so far.
"The most devastating and destabilizing effects" of the novel coronavirus pandemic "will be felt in the world's poorest countries," the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs, Mark Lowcock, said in a statement.
"Unless we take action now, we should be prepared for a significant rise in conflict, hunger and poverty. The specter of multiple famines looms," he warned.
The full $6.7 billion is expected to cover costs of the humanitarian response plan until December.
It prioritizes some 20 countries, including several in conflict such as Afghanistan and Syria.
The new call for donations came as nine more countries were added to the list: Benin, Djibouti, Liberia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Togo and Zimbabwe.
As many as 190 000 people in Africa could die from Covid-19 - WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) believes between 83 000 to 190 000 people could die from Covid-19 in Africa, with as many as 44 million people likely to contract the virus.
These estimates are based on the risk of transmission specific to each African country, the organisation said in a statement.
The model predicts the observed slower rate of transmission, lower age of people with severe disease and lower mortality rates compared to what is seen in the most affected countries in the rest of the world.
This is largely driven by social and environmental factors slowing the transmission, and a younger population that has benefitted from the control of communicable diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis to reduce possible vulnerabilities.
The lower rate of transmission, however, suggests a more prolonged outbreak over a few years, according to the study which also revealed that smaller African countries alongside Algeria, South Africa and Cameroon were at a high risk if containment measures are not prioritized. The predicted number of cases that would require hospitalization would overwhelm the available medical capacity in much of Africa.
There would be an estimated 3.6 million–5.5 million Covid-19 hospitalizations, of which 82 000–167 000 would be severe cases requiring oxygen, and 52 000–107 000 would be critical cases requiring breathing support. Such a huge number of patients in hospitals would severely strain the health capacities of countries.