Japan to test coronavirus drug despite risk of birth defects

The Wall Street Journal reports that Japanese authorities are racing to test a drug developed by Fujifilm Holdings (OTCPK:FUJIF), Avigan (favipiravir), for the potential treatment of coronavirus infection.

A nationwide study recently launched that will enroll 80 subjects who have tested positive for COVID-19 who have mild or no symptoms, including women who have been tested for pregnancy. Medical experts caution that women between the ages of 18 and 40 should not be recruited for the trial considering the danger of birth defects.

Avigan was approved in Japan in 2014 as a backup drug in case a new kind of influenza emerged. It has not been used to treat regular flu because animal studies showed the potential for fetal damage or death if pregnant women took the medicine.

The government’s decision to launch the trial is controversial since Fujifilm’s CEO is a golfing partner of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has also received $28K in political donations from the company. In a televised interview last week, Mr. Abe touted Avigan by name but neglected to mention two other drugs, Gilead Sciences’ (NASDAQ:GILD) remdesivir and AbbVie’s (NYSE:ABBV) Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir), that are also being evaluated.

Experts doubt that Avigan will be efficacious enough to be useful.

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3549396-japan-to-test-coronavirus-drug-despite-risk-of-birth-defects