Anti-influenza drug Avigan selected for countering the Ebola virus in Guinea

FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Kenji Sukeno) has announced that its anti-influenza drug "Avigan Tablet 200mg" (Favipiravir, hereinafter "Avigan Tablet") was selected as one of the supplies to be procured by the Japanese government's emergency grant aid, extended to counter the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Guinea.

The outbreak of the EVD in West Africa began in 2014. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in the region in December last year, new clusters of EVD cases were confirmed in Guinea in March of this year. In response to this situation, the government of Guinea requested that Japan provide a new supply of Avigan Tablet. The Japanese government decided to use funds from its emergency grant aid to procure from Fujifilm enough Avigan Tablet to treat about 2,000 people, and to provide it to the Guinean government. The Avigan Tablet will be used to treat EVD patients.

The Avigan Tablet is an anti-influenza drug developed by the Fujifilm Group company, Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd. Due to the results of laboratory experiments on mice indicating its anti-viral efficacy on the Ebola virus, Avigan Tablet was administered to multiple Ebola patients as an emergency measure amidst the 2014 outbreak of the EVD. From December 2014 to May 2015, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) conducted the clinical trial on the Avigan Tablet's efficacy on the EVD at four Ebola Treatment Centers in Guinea. Based on the final analysis results, the Guinean government has formally adopted the Avigan Tablet administration as a part of the standard treatment for the EVD.

Fujifilm will continue to work with the governments of France, Guinea and Japan in dealing with the EVD.

Provided by Fujifilm