Pfizer Japan Inc. said Friday it has applied to the health ministry for approval of its COVID-19 pill which, if granted, would make it the second oral drug for mild coronavirus cases available in the country.

The new drug application for Paxlovid, a combination of the antiviral drugs nirmatrelvir and ritonavir, comes as Japan is battling its sixth surge of COVID-19 cases amid a spread of the omicron variant, with the country already agreeing to procure enough of the drug for 2 million people.