The availability of effective Covid vaccines and treatments is crucial in laying the groundwork for China’s potential pivoting from its “dynamic Covid zero” policy, which aims to eliminate every outbreak – however small – and relies on mass testing and strict quarantining.

The Azvudine tablet, which China approved in July last year to treat certain HIV-1 virus infections, has been given a conditional green light to treat adult patients with “normal type” Covid, the National Medical Products Administration said in a statement.

“Normal type” Covid is a term China uses to refer to coronavirus infections where there are signs of pneumonia, but the patients haven’t reached a severe stage.

China in February allowed the use of Pfizer’s oral treatment Paxlovid in adults with mild-to-moderate Covid and high risk of progressing to a severe condition. In 2020, it approved the use of Lianhuaqingwen capsules, a traditional Chinese medicine-style formula, to alleviate symptoms of Covid such as fever and cough.

In a late-stage clinical trial, 40.4% of patients taking Azvudine showed improvement in symptoms seven days after first taking the drug, compared with 10.9% in the control group, Henan province-based Genuine Biotech said in a statement earlier this month, without providing detailed readings.

Other Chinese companies developing potential oral Covid treatments include Shanghai Junshi Biosciences and Kintor Pharmaceutical.