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Fujifilm’s Avigan reduces recovery time in non-severe COVID-19 patients

pharmafile | September 23, 2020 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing  

Fujifilm has announced promising new Phase 3 findings demonstrating that its antiviral therapy Avigan (favipravir) had a statistically significant impact on recovery times in COVID-19 patients with non-severe symptoms.

In a Japan-based study involving 156 participants and conducted by the company’s subsidiary Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, Avigan was shown to reduce recovery time to 11.9 days, while patients receiving placebo took 14.7 days to recover.

The study’s success is a marked progression from research conducted on the drug in July, where studies into the therapy at Fujita Health University failed to achieve statistical significance, in part down to difficulty in enrolling sufficient participant numbers.

On the back of these positive data, Fujifilm is expected to forge ahead in securing regulatory approval in Japan and around the world. The company said it aims to submit a regulatory filing as early as October, following an additional analysis of the data, with approval possible within a month. The Japanese Government has also pushed for the company to triple its national stockpiles of the drug.

Avigan has been approved in Japan since 2014 as a treatment for influenza in emergency cases, and generic versions of the therapy are already available.

Matt Fellows

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