(Photo: REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo)
Japanese health experts are planning a three-fold rise in the stockpile of antiviral medication Avigan for use in treating 2 million people sickened with the new coronavirus, latest reports revealed.
The product, developed by a group belonging to Fujifilm Holdings Corp., was stored in Japan as a flu treatment. Yet it is also considered as effective in treating the COVID-19 pneumonia.
Since the drug is believed to cause birth defects, it cannot be used on expectant mothers or women who may become pregnant. The imported medication has thus never been sold on the market, and the reserve has been handled by the government as a response against an influenza epidemic that most people are not immunized with.
According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga during a media briefing, some 30 countries have made applications to Japan for the Avigan procurement through diplomatic channels. "We are working to provide countries needing it with the requisite quantities for free," he said.
The proposal forms part of a draft economic emergency package, scheduled to be completed in the coming days. The draft states that the virus poses a critical challenge for the Japanese economy and stipulates two-stage interventions.
The first step calls for citizens to get emergency treatment as the country is struggling to contain the virus. The second step is geared towards a fast economic recovery. Authorities expect to store enough Avigan by the end of March next year for two million people.
Authorities also intend to allocate approximately $2,800 to households whose income has plummeted to a certain degree as a result of pandemic.
Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co. began clinical trials Tuesday to assess the drug's efficacy to COVID-19 patients, also known as Favipiravir. The government may authorize the medication for use in COVID-19 care this summer if such an efficacy is verified.
Avigan calls for varying dosages of both coronavirus and influenza therapies. Health experts plan to extend clinical work on Avigan with countries that wish to collaborate, said the top spokesperson for the government.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a March 28 press conference that the government would promote vaccine and drug production to fight the pneumonia-causing virus. The government also plans to provide additional child allowances.
After the spread of the infection is contained, the government plans to launch a campaign to stimulate personal consumption, boost the tourism industry, and promote events. Officials plan to provide expanded employment subsidies until June 30 to protect jobs.
