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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 treatment courses 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 influenza and 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,” says a Fujifilm spokesperson,although the company has yet to present evidence of efficacy The Japanese government stated its preference for Avigan to be made in Japan using domestically produced materials Toyama Chemical, the Fujifilm subsidiary that developed Avigan, will fulfill part of its requirement for a key intermediate, diethyl
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