MFDS Begins Preliminary Review of COVID-19 Oral Treatment 'Sabizabulin'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 13th that it has begun a preliminary review of the oral COVID-19 treatment developed by the U.S. pharmaceutical company Veru, with the active ingredient Sabizabulin.

This follows the submission of a preliminary review application for non-clinical, clinical, and quality data on Sabizabulin to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety the previous day.

According to the Ministry, Sabizabulin inhibits the formation of microtubules necessary for viral replication within cells, thereby suppressing virus replication and inflammatory responses.

A Ministry official stated, "We plan to thoroughly review the submitted data," adding, "If the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency requests emergency use authorization for Sabizabulin in the future, we will expedite the approval process."