On Dec. 24, 2021, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics announced that Japanﾒs Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare had granted Special Approval for Emergency in Japan for molnupiravir, an investigational oral antiviral medicine, for infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Special Approval for Emergency is the process under Article 14-3 of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act to approve a medical product swiftly in an emergency situation to protect public health. Under a previously announced supply agreement, the Japanese government purchased 1.6 million courses of molnupiravir to accelerate access to patients.