The flu drug Avigan will be made available at no cost to countries that ask for it to treat the novel coronavirus, the Japanese government has announced Friday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference that 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. At 2,617 cases as of Friday, Japan has relatively few of the more than 1 million infections worldwide, making broad clinical trials difficult.

Indonesia ordered 2 million doses of Avigan on March 20, and the country plans to begin clinical testing once the shipment arrives. The country has seen coronavirus cases there surge to 1,986, after going weeks without confirming infections in the early stages of the epidemic. Indonesia now has 181 deaths, placing it higher than South Korea, and second only to China in Asia.

Japan has also received a request from Turkey. Turkish Health Minister FahrettinKoca met with Akio Miyajima, the Japanese ambassador to Ankara, last month and inquired about acquiring Avigan, diplomatic sources told the Nikkei Asian Review.

Avigan, developed by a subsidiary of Japan's Fujifilm Holdings, was found in Chinese clinical testing to be effective against COVID-19. Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe has announced plans to begin the trial process to have itofficially approvedas a coronavirus treatment in Japan.

Source & Credit: Nikkei Asian Review

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus/Japan-offers-Avigan-for-free-to-countries-fighting-coronavirus

Avigan, developed by a subsidiary of Japan'sFujifilm Holdings, was found in Chinese clinical testing to be effective against COVID-19.