Japan approval for Avigan to treat COVID-19 delayed

27 May 2020

Japan’s Health Minister Katsunobu Kato revealed on May 26 that his ministry has given up on the government’s end-May target for approving Fujifilm Corp’s (TYO: 4901) antiviral Avigan (favipiravir) for the treatment of COVID-19 as sufficient data to support its efficacy are not yet available.

Just last Friday, Fujifilm said it is on course to supply the flu drug Avigan for 2 million COVID-19 patients by next March, meeting a target set by the government to ramp up production of the potential but yet unapproved coronavirus treatment.

There is a belief that Avigan, developed by Fujifilm’s Fujifilm Toyama Chemical subsidiary, can be used as a treatment for the COVID-19, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had expressed his hopes the drug could have received approval by the end of this month. But some experts raised concerns that the government was rushing to approve it before the final results of the clinical tests were known.

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