Sharjah24 - Reuters: The National Medical Products Administration in China announced on Sunday that the country had approved the use of two locally produced oral medications for COVID-19 patients who had only minor symptoms.

The drugs, used for treating adult patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infections, have been developed by Simcere Pharmaceutical Group <2096. HK> and a unit of Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co Ltd, the administration said in a statement on its website.

China abandoned its stringent "zero COVID" policy in early December after protests against it, allowing people to travel and the virus to spread rapidly throughout the country, boosting demand for COVID treatments.