Fujifilm Holdings Corp. said Wednesday it has expanded manufacturing capacity to "significantly increase" production of its anti-flu drug Avigan that is being tested as a treatment for COVID-19.
Fujifilm expects to increase the production of Avigan up to 100,000 treatment courses by July 2020, about 2.5 times more compared to the beginning of March when the company first began its current production run, and then to 300,000 by September, it said in a statement.
Fujifilm is allocating additional capacity at its subsidiary Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Co. to produce the ingredients used to make Avigan. Fujifilm has also made partnerships with domestic and overseas companies for manufacturing processes and the production of raw ingredients.
Fujifilm is conducting clinical trials of Avigan on patients of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in Japan and the United States.