Medical authorities in China have said that a Japanese drug has appeared to be ‘clearly effective’ in treating Coronavirus patients.
The drug, Avigan (Favipiravir), is used in Japan to treat new strains of influenza. The company who make the drug, Fujifilm, saw a 15% rise in shares after the news.
Zhang Xinmin, China’s director of the National Center for Biotechnology Development said Avigan (Favipiravir) was found to be effective in 2 clinical trials completed in Wuhan and Shenzhen and involved 240 patients and 80 patients respectively.
Zhang said the medicine worked for coronavirus-related symptoms including pneumonia and had no obvious side effects and those who took part in the trial and were given Avigan reported positive results after 4 days of therapy.
This contrasts with a median of 11 days for those without the medication.
The drug is manufactured by a subsidiary of Fujifilm, which has a healthcare arm. The drug was approved for use in Japan in 2014.
