Fujifilm expects Avigan to be promising drug to treat Ebola
By Reuters
Nov 11, 2014 03:41 AM EST
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Tablets of Avigan (generic name : Favipiravir), a drug approved as an anti-influenza drug in Japan and developed by drug maker Toyama Chemical Co, a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings Co. are displayed during a photo opportunity at Fujifilm's headquarters in Tokyo October 22, 2014. (Photo : Reuters)
Fujifilm Holdings Corp said on Tuesday that it expects its influenza drug Avigan to become a highly effective drug to treat Ebola.
"So far, four Ebola patients have recovered after being treated with the drug," Shigetaka Komori, Fujifilm's chairman and chief executive, told a news conference. "We believe that the drug will become highly effective to treat the disease."
Fujifilm, once among the world's biggest makers of photography film, has been expanding its pharmaceutical business. In 2008 it bought Toyama Chemical Co, whose influenza drug Avigan has been drafted for the fight against Ebola.
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