On Feb. 12, 2022, China’s medical products regulator announced that it had given conditional approval for Pfizer’s COVID-19 drug Paxlovid, making it the first oral pill specifically developed to treat the disease cleared in the country.

The National Medical Products Administration said Paxlovid was approved to treat adults who have mild to moderate COVID-19 and high risk of progressing to a severe condition. Further study on the drug needed to be conducted and submitted to the authority.