Kaneka Corporation has reached an agreement with FUJIFILM Corporation to supply drug substances for anti-influenza drug, Avigan® Tablet (favipiravir), for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
While COVID-19 continues to spread, the Japanese government has decided to increase its stockpiles of Avigan® Tablet, which is expected to be effective against COVID-19, for up to 2 million people, and FUJIFILM Corporation has expanded its production system and started increasing its production of Avigan® Tablet.
We have been highly commended by major pharmaceutical manufacturers around the world for our process development capabilities, manufacturing technology, and quality of pharmaceuticals cultivated over many years, and on this occasion, we have been requested to supply drug substances as a major supplier. We believe that it is our social mission to promptly start the supply of drug substances for Avigan® Tablet, and we will urgently improve our manufacturing system through capital investment, personnel allocation changes, and production plan adjustments to begin supplying the drug substances in July.