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Written By: Editorial Team | Published : October 21, 2014 12:25 PM IST
Identifying the urgent need to contain Ebola outbreak, Japan responded to the international emergency by offering its anti-influenza drug Avigan to treat the deadly Ebola virus disease with WHO s request in the month of September. On September 19, a treatment combining Avigan and another experimental drug reportedly cured a French nurse infected with Ebola, following which Fujifilm and Toyama Chemical continued their work with relevant pharmaceutical authorities, international organizations and infectious disease specialists to explore the potential of leveraging Avigan for patients with the Ebola virus disease.
Monday, Japan's Fujifilm Holdings Corporation announced that it will start bulk production of Avigan for a larger number of patients infected with the Ebola virus. 'Fujifilm made the decision to ready a larger inventory through additional production in order to ensure a continual supply of a sufficient volume of Avigan if the scale of the infection were to increase further,' said the Japanese multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo in a release posted on its website Monday.
Avigan Tablets were developed by Fujifilm Group company Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd. and approved in Japan as anti-influenza drug in March, Xinhua reported. Its efficacy on Ebola is not confirmed, though some research papers report that Avigan shows efficacy against the Ebola virus in animal testing with mice. (Read: Ebola facts frequently asked questions (FAQ))
Avigan has already been administered as an emergency treatment to several Ebola patients evacuated from West Africa to Europe. Recent media reports said some Ebola patients have been treated with Avigan in Europe. The governments of France and Guinea are planning to conduct clinical trials of Avigan tablets in Guinea as a treatment for Ebola in mid-November. Fujifilm has received a request to provide Avigan Tablets and pharmaceutical information on the product for use in these clinical trials, said the company. (Read: Ebola virus signs and symptoms you need to watch out for!)
If this clinical trial shows the efficacy and safety of Avigan Tablets as treatment for Ebola, Fujifilm is expected to receive requests to provide the products for large-scale clinical use. Fujifilm currently has stock of Avigan Tablets for 20,000 courses as well as an additional inventory of active pharmaceutical ingredient roughly for 300,000 courses. (Read: 10 reasons that make the Ebola virus deadly for humans)
Facts about Japanese Ebola Drug Favipiravir
It was discovered in 1998:Yousuke Furuta, a Japanese scientist, who worked at Toyama Chemicals, subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., discovered the drug in 1998. It was then customised to treat influenza virus.
It is an anti-viral drug: Also known be the code name T-705; favipiravir is active against several viruses including influenza virus, yellow fever virus, falvivirus and West Nile virus, Western equine encephalitis virus and noroviruses that have RNA as their genetic material. In Japan, the drug was approved as an anti-influenza drug in 2014 to stop on-going influenza pandemics. (Read more about How the Ebola virus spreads in humans)
Prevents multiplication of viral particles: The drug inhibits replication of viral genetic material by blocking the enzyme RNA polymerase that is required for multiplication of viral particles after they infect the cells. It also has an inhibitory action against different strains of influenza virus that are currently resistant to other antiviral drugs. (Here are Ebola virus signs and symptoms you need to watch out for!)
With inputs from IANS
Photo source: Getty images
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