In the global hunt for coronavirus treatments, a Japanese antiviral medicine known as Avigan has won plaudits from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and $128 million in government funding.
FILE PHOTO: Tablets of Avigan , a drug approved as an anti-influenza drug in Japan and developed by drug maker Toyama Chemical Co, a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings Co. are displayed during a photo opportunity at Fujifilm's headquarters in Tokyo October 22, 2014. . REUTERS/Issei KatoCamostat, a 35-year old pancreatitis drug made by Osaka-based Ono Pharmaceutical Co, has captured the interest of scientists in Japan and overseas with little fanfare or state assistance.
Interest in Avigan soared in March after a Chinese official said that it appeared to help patients recover from COVID-19, the flu-like infection caused by the coronavirus. It is now the subject of at least 14 clinical trials. Amidst a global rout in stocks, shares in Fujifilm have shot to record highs.
The use of Avigan is decided by doctors and its approval will depend on medical and scientific evaluation in due course, said Fujifilm spokeswoman Kana Matsumoto. After being tested against a range of viruses, Avigan was finally approved in Japan in 2014, but only for emergency use against flu epidemics, and it was licensed in China where it has since gone off patent.
“It’s got a 35-year track record, so it seemed to be a very safe drug,” he said. “I said we’ve got to try it. I’m a physician and we’re desperate for anything we can give to people.”“I’m 100% certain that we needed to start this trial a month ago. And we can have a definitive result in a month.”
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