Avigan tablets Photo: Reuters file
national

Fujifilm to restart clinical trial of Avigan to treat COVID-19: report

28 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© Thomson Reuters 2021.

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

28 Comments
Login to comment

Just use ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine like India

None of those have any demonstrated effect in properly done meta analysis of the available data. At this point is extremely unlikely ivermectin is of use, and HCQ is already demonstrated as useless, except of course as a political tool for people to "demonstrate" they are doing something and gaining populist points.

You certainly did! They certainly don't...

And that is why "they" are making such efforts to vaccinate, which would make people as mobile as normal without having to worry about the infection in the first place, much less if they can be treated? Or is it because of that that dirt cheap drugs that actually do something are being promoted as very useful all over the world?

The conspiracy doesn't look so strong with all the arguments that disprove it.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Uh-oh. Think I just answered my own question, didn’t I? They don’t want us to be mobile!!

You certainly did! They certainly don't...

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Agreed. If it works, great, why not? Let's see the results of these trials.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Good!

Treatments talk is needed talk. Everything these days is masks, vaccine, masks, vaccine.

Look, if treatments are good then people will be less scared of the disease. And then less panic about mobility.

Uh-oh. Think I just answered my own question, didn’t I? They don’t want us to be mobile!!

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

Done at hospitals and research centers around the country, clinical trials are conducted in phases. Phase 1 trials try to determine dosing, document how a drug is metabolized and excreted, and identify acute side effects. Usually, a small number of healthy volunteers (between 20 and 80) are used in Phase 1 trials.

Phase 2 trials include more participants (about 100-300) who have the disease or condition that the product potentially could treat. In Phase 2 trials, researchers seek to gather further safety data and preliminary evidence of the drug's beneficial effects (efficacy), and they develop and refine research methods for future trials with this drug. If the Phase 2 trials indicate that the drug may be effective--and the risks are considered acceptable, given the observed efficacy and the severity of the disease--the drug moves to Phase 3.

In Phase 3 trials, the drug is studied in a larger number of people with the disease (approximately 1,000-3,000).

https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-consumers-and-patients-drugs/inside-clinical-trials-testing-medical-products-people

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Wow, Japan is SO desperate to have its name in the game they are going to go ahead with something that not only has no proven positive effect, but that has known negative side-effects including birth defects.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

No one is testing it outside Japan because it does NOT work against covid19.

It is more of a treatment.

if given to India and Indonesia, free or comparable price to Sputnik V, at least 50% effective is better than zero. Fuji can then use 1/5 of world population as guinea pigs.

India’s mutations are the biggest threat to the world right now.! All vaccines-and treatment medication must be explored, not just USA, etc, owned business motivated enterprises.

together we need to cooperate.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

it's surprising the lengths a Japanese would walk to avoid using foreign vaccines.

most Japanese people haven't used a foreign medicine in their entire live, not even COVID-19 can change their mind.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

"...Fujifilm will aim to seek approval again in October, Nikkei said."

Is this October 2021? Seems the the ship has sailed on this one unfortunately.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

270 "test patients"?

That is indeed a very small number.

If they only look at the outcome, they won't be able to conclude anything with a disease of such low mortality. I hope they will measure the effects of the drug on viral load.

And I hope they won't do as some have done when testing HCQ, where they gave it to late stage patients. Antivirals should be given as early as possible. If they give it in the later stages, it won't work.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Most of the medications dispensed here were developed in Switzerland, the US and other countries. I would have hoped to see Japanese science to contribute to some solutions to the current pandemic, but that does not appear to be the case. Swift and decisive action, followed by amazing breakthroughs, alas, was not to happen.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Japan can not deal with its own failures so they don’t ever recognize them as failures.

-Japan's "failures" are absolutely no comparison to the half million dead in the USA. You are hilarious. Keep the laughs coming.

-2 ( +7 / -9 )

Japan can not deal with its own failures so they don’t ever recognize them as failures.

That goes for this failed product and the complete failure of developing a vaccine but also for the entire domestic pharma industry.

a complete misplaced sense of nationalism but we know better than to expect that to change ever

3 ( +9 / -6 )

Probably just spending money that was earmarked months ago. Once the decision is made, it's made. Money's gotta be spent, even though the drug has been proven already not to work. Worst case scenario, it forces the virus to mutate, making it more virulent. 

This is the most likely explanation, once a research project is approved it can be impossible to cancel it without a very compelling reason. The point is not to find out that the product is useful, but to have cold hard data that proves without doubts if it is or not useful, leaving it half done is more wasteful than finishing it.

The dangers of mutations on the other hand are exaggerated, at least for RNA viruses that are already at elevated mutation rates constantly during the infection. The mechanism has only been proved on cells and it is based on the premise of antivirals clearing the infection by themselves, which is not how they work on humans where the purpose of using them is only to give an edge to the adaptive immunity to do the hard work.

Viral replication on people with impaired immune systems on the other hand is where the real danger of mutagenesis exist.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

They trot this story out about once every three months.

have been doing so for the past year and every time it’s the same story.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Well that just makes me never want to take Avigan....for anything!

8 ( +10 / -2 )

From the above link, in the New York Times:

"There is no solid evidence that Avigan is actually effective against Covid-19."

".....What Avigan ......does have is ...... one dangerous potential side effect - birth defects."

So, there seems to be a disagreement between various health agencies about the wisdom of using Avigan to treat Covid-19.

16 ( +16 / -0 )

Approved vaccines that have been tested on tens of thousands with no major side effects. What should we do? We will have to test that on a few hundred Japanese, just to make sure it is safe and even then there will be a hesitantcy for this. This drug made in Japan with inconclusive findings and with known side effects (albeit in animals). Fuji, stick to making film and let the real scientist make science backed vaccines and reliable medicines.

8 ( +12 / -4 )

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/business/japan-avigan-coronavirus.html?campaign_id=154&emc=edit_cb_20200506&instance_id=18249&nl=coronavirus-briefing&regi_id=49359514&segment_id=26680&te=1&user_id=9c748ac6c3d1ed95a04f0beb1d0eb89b

2 ( +3 / -1 )

There isn’t enough evidence to have a clear picture of the drugs effectiveness. Clinical trials then decide. Not the other way around.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

I really hope this is not one of the reasons that Japan has and is being so slow to role out the vaccine to its people. Hoping that a domestic cure could be found, thus helping their own. I know they have ordered from many companies, but if they keep delaying then Japan can cancel for breach of contract and use the locally produced stuff.

6 ( +9 / -3 )

Probably just spending money that was earmarked months ago. Once the decision is made, it's made. Money's gotta be spent, even though the drug has been proven already not to work. Worst case scenario, it forces the virus to mutate, making it more virulent. This is something that has been suspected of antiviral medication for a while. Here's my reference: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100113172306.htm#:~:text=01%2F100113172306.htm-,New%20research%20raises%20concerns%20about%20an%20emerging%20strategy%20for%20stopping,virulent%20than%20before%20drug%20treatment.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Again just a way to give money to friends.

At that stage, any favourable effect would be known.

No one is testing it outside Japan because it does NOT work against covid19.

8 ( +16 / -8 )

Sounds like it maybe suitable for healthy old people.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites