Japan offers Avigan for free to countries fighting coronavirus

The flu drug Avigan will be made available at no cost to countries that ask for it to treat the novel coronavirus, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday.

Suga said about 30 countries have sought Avigan through diplomatic channels. "We are making arrangements to provide it for free," he said.

Doing so will help expand clinical research into the drug, Suga said.

Avigan, developed by a subsidiary of Japan's Fujifilm Holdings, was found in Chinese clinical testing to be effective against COVID-19. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced plans to begin the trial process to have it officially approved as a coronavirus treatment in Japan.

"We will accelerate development of effective treatments and vaccines to ease the public's concerns as quickly as possible," Abe told lawmakers Friday.

Fujifilm announced this week it has launched clinical trials to test Avigan's effectiveness against the virus and is preparing to ramp up production. The Japanese government has a strategic reserve of 2 million doses.

Abe said Friday that Japan, the U.S. and other countries have begun international joint testing of remdesivir, a drug developed to fight Ebola that has also shown promise in treating the coronavirus. Private-sector trials are set to begin this month, he said.