Shionogi is hoping to demonstrate the efficacy of its oral COVID-19 candidate Xocova through an appropriate primary endpoint in its Phase III trial, while the Japanese firm is also eyeing global expansion for the drug should a world-first domestic approval be granted.

With South Korean pharma firms and drug developers striving to turn into innovators, the number of clinical trials approved by regulatory authorities climbed last year, led by studies for cancer therapies, particularly those acting on the immune system, one of the most active research areas globally.