The number of prescription drug approvals decreased significantly in July. The approvals, which had continuously increased from 70 in May to 93 in June, had fallen to record 29 in July.

However, the drugs approved were nevertheless as significant as Pfizer Korea’s COVID-19 treatment ‘Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir, ritonavir)’, which had first been introduced to Korea through the EUA (emergency use authorization) during the COVID-19 outbreak, received formal approval as a new drug in Korea, and the Takeda-developed Celltrion-owned ‘Alo Gliptinpio Tab’ was approved for export.

In July, a total of 76 drugs were approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Compared to the previous