On Apr. 9, 2020, FUJIFILM announced initiation of a U.S. phase II clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its influenza antiviral drug ‘Avigan’ Tablet (generic name: favipiravir) for patients with COVID-19, a respiratory infection caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Avigan was developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm and approved in 2014 as an anti-influenza drug in Japan. Avigan selectively inhibits RNA polymerase, necessary for influenza virus replication.

According to Fujifilm, due to this mechanism, it is expected that Avigan may potentially have an antiviral effect on the new coronavirus, because like influenza viruses, coronaviruses are single-stranded RNA viruses that also depend on viral RNA polymerase.

On March 31, Fujifilm announced the start of a Phase III clinical trial of Avigan for COVID-19 patients in Japan.

The U.S. trial will involve approximately 50 patients across the three sites. According to a story in the Boston Globe, one group would receive the drug along with the normal standard of care, while a second control group would receive only the normal care COVID-19 patients currently receive, according to officials involved in the trial.