Fujifilm Antiflu Drug Given to Second Ebola Patient

Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)--Fujifilm Corp. said Monday that a Ugandan male doctor infected with Ebola haemorrhagic fever has been administered with the antiflu drug favipiravir, developed by a Fujifilm affiliate, after the recovery of the first Ebola patient who took it. The second administration of the drug produced as Avigan, which is not authorized for Ebola, for the treatment of the disease followed its use for a female French nurse, who took multiple drugs including it and recovered and left hospital on Saturday. The drug was developed by Toyama Chemical Co. The male doctor's infection was found when he was working in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He was transferred to a hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. Fujifilm said that it had been asked to offer favipiravir by the governments of Guinea and France. It plans to supply favipiravir for Ebola treatment after discussions with the Japanese government. END