Fujifilm tests favipiravir as COVID-19 treatment
cen.acs.org
Fujifilm is ramping up production of its antiviral treatment favipiravir, one of many approved drugs being tested as a possible treatment for COVID-19. Phase III clinical trials are ongoing in Japan, and the government has ordered 2 million tablets. In the US, Fujifilm started Phase II trials earlier this month.
Favipiravir, which Fujifilm sells under the brand name Avigan, has been approved in Japan since 2014 to treat influenzaand other viral strains that don’t respond to other drugs. “Avigan tablets are expected to have efficacy against infection with the new coronavirus in view of its characteristic mechanism of action,” a Fujifilm spokesperson says, although the company has yet to present evidence of efficacy.
According to the Fujifilm spokesperson, human trials so far have not uncovered any adverse reactions. However, the drug has not been tested on pregnant women because pre-clinical studies indicated possible harm to fetuses.
Like Gilead Sciences’ remdesivir, another antiviral being tested against COVID-19, favipiravir is a selective inhibitor of the RNA polymerase involved in viral replication. Animal studies showed that it’s effective against not only influenza but also West Nile virus, yellow fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and other viruses, Fujifilm says.
So far, the firm notes, the Japanese government is the only group that has ordered large quantities of favipiravir to use against COVID-19. The World Health Organization did not include favipiravir among the four existing drugs it is testing against the disease in a large, multinational trial.
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