Tokyo: Japan's Fujifilm has begun clinical trials to test the effectiveness of its anti-flu drug Avigan in treating patients with the new coronavirus, after reports of promising results in China.
Trials in China have suggested Avigan could play a role in shortening the recovery time for patients infected with coronavirus. "The trial will be conducted on 100 patients until the end of June," a company spokesman told AFP on Wednesday. "We will collect data, analyse them and file for approval after that," he added.
The drug will be administered for a maximum of 14 days to coronavirus patients between 20 and 74 years old with mild pneumonia, the spokesman said.