Japan provides Avigan tablets to Philippines as a viable treatment for COVID-19

Japan embassy in Manila said on Thursday that the Japanese government provided the Philippines anti-flu drug Avigan tablets as the latter conducts clinical trials for possible COVID-19 treatment.

Photo credit: wired.com

Avigan tablets will be tested on 100 patients in the country and that the donation of the drug is part of its emergency grant aid to countries severely affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

It is also to fulfill Japan's earlier commitment to provide the drug to the country as well as 19 others for free.

The arrival of the medicine is also part of the Department of Health's plan to conduct a trial on coronavirus patients to see Avigan's effectiveness. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said the study was given a budget of ₱18 million. 

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Philippines received around 199,000 Avigan tablets

"Japan hopes that this ongoing cooperation with the Philippines would further contribute to the advancement of clinical research to contain the COVID-19 pandemic," it said.

The drug, also known as favipiravir and developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings Corp., has shown promise against the new coronavirus in earlier clinical trials.

Avigan, according to the embassy, "had drawn interest from so many countries for its potential to prevent viral replication, even as its effectiveness against the novel coronavirus is yet to be established."

Experts have warned that the drug could cause birth defects and couldn’t be administered to expectant mothers.

"In response to the requests received from the international community, Japan has formed close cooperation with several countries, including the Philippines, to expand clinical research on Avigan as treatment for this infectious disease," the embassy said.

"Each recipient government has acknowledged of Avigan’s proper usage and prescription in view of its known adverse side effects," it added.

The Philippines took part in the World Health Organization's solidarity trial with possible treatment approaches to COVID-19 using remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and lopanivir/ritonavir combined with interferon.

It later stopped the use of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, and the combination HIV drug lopinavir and ritonavir in its treatment of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, following the World Health Organization's move.

Philippines climb to having most COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia as tally nears 120,000.