Fuji announced that it finally completed trials of its potential COVID-19 drug, Avigan, meaning that it could be available in the near future as a treatment.
For those of you that have followed this story along with us, you may remember that this was express laned by the former Abe administration who was hoping to have this completed in May. This was later revised to the end of June. Now here we are in September and those trials have just completed giving us all some insights into how complex this process must be.
The Fuji subsidiary, Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co, is now in the process of analyzing its data to make sure that Avigan is safe for consumer distribution. As for why the trials were delayed, Japan Today cites the relative lack of COVID-19 cases in Japan earlier this year compared with the present period. Japan Today reports that a lifting of lockdown measures in May led to a surge of cases in that country but that surge has since leveled out.
Fuji is not the only company involved in the fight against the novel coronavirus. We reported on Canon’s efforts with one of its subsidiaries to offer protective equipment. Of course, one of the most famous stories in our niche regarding all of this is perhaps the pseudo-scandal that is Kodak’s pivot to pharmaceutical chemicals. Initially touted as a smart pivot that reused existing facilities to meet a noticeable need in the United States, the whole thing has since become plagued with accusations of insider-trading. You can read up on that by clicking here.
Have you kept up with the development of Avigan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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