Fujifilm Photography Company Now Produces COVID-19 Drug Too, Claimed Effective By Chinese Health Experts

Dhir Acharya - Mar 20, 2020

Fujifilm's coronavirus drug Avigan was complimented by Chinese health experts for its effectiveness in curing COVID-19 patients.

For decades, Fujifilm has been known as a photography corporation, but the company itself has recognized its future in the healthcare area. On Wednesday, the Chinese government said that Avigan, a new flu drug from Toyama Chemical – a Fujifilm’s branch, proved a success in curing COVID-19 in testing. Shortly after the announcement, the company’s stock price went up by 15 percent.

Over the past 86 years, it’s been undeniable that Fujifilm is always willing to change. Founded in 1934, from a filmmaker, the company went through several turns, including film production, photocopy equipment, cameras, and now medical supplies.

Currently, healthcare accounts for 20 percent of Fujifilm’s total revenue of Rs 170.6 crore. Furthermore, the company is pursuing a 5-year plan to double its revenue in the healthcare sector, making it a new major part apart from stationary.

In 2008, Fujifilm starts looking at the medical field when they acquired Toyama chemical. In the following years, the company focused on acquiring more pharmaceutical and diagnosis companies. For the company’s CEO Shigetaka Komori, this is an opportunity to help Japan escape the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the results of clinical trials on 340 infected patients in Shenzhen and Wuhan, Fujifilm’s coronavirus drug Avigan has proved effective in reducing the duration of the coronavirus in patients as well as improving the lung conditions of patients that got treatment with this drug.

There was a reduction in the period in which a patient tested positive for COVID-19, decreasing from 11 days to 4 days. Besides, about 91 percent of the patients who received treatment with Avigan had improved lung conditions.

Japanese and Chinese experts considered Avigan a potential cure for COVID-19 though there’s no certainty as it still causes side effects. However, the company is not only working on a cure but also a new testing method for the coronavirus that can be implemented on a large scale.