Japan’s Fujifilm has expanded manufacturing capacity to boost production of its influenza drug Avigan (favipiravir), being assessed to potentially treat Covid-19.
Capacity is being increased at the company’s Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical facility in Japan. This facility will produce pharmaceutical intermediates required to manufacture Avigan.
Fujifilm estimates to increase monthly production of the drug up to 100,000 treatment courses by July, said to be nearly 2.5 times higher compared to the beginning of March.
The production will then be increased to 300,000 treatment courses by September. One treatment course with the drug involves a 14-day regimen of two 1800mg loading doses each on day one, and two 800mg maintenance doses each on