FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical

FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical is a diagnostics and therapeutic drug company involved research, development and manufacturing. The company was launched in 2018 and was formed through a merger of Toyama Chemical Co., Ltd, which was engaged in research, development, manufacture and sale of small molecule pharmaceuticals and FUGIFILM RI Pharma Co., Ltd. FUGIFI, a radiopharmaceuticals company. Pharmaceuticals for which Toyama Chemical acquired manufacturing and marketing approval and held sales rights were sold by Taisho Toyama Pharmaceutical. From April 1, 2019, these products are sold by FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical.

FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical developed the influenza drug Avigan, also known as favipiravir. The drug is thought to have potential to treat other diseases such as Ebola and tick-borne illness. In February, 2019, Japan began using the anti-influenza drug Avigan in an observational test to treat patients with COVID-19 due to infection with the novel coronavirus. If the drug is found to have good efficacy, it will be used widely on COVID-19 patients. Avigan is effective at reducing the growth of virus. Avigan is not available in the marketplace and the government holds a stockpile of the drug for approximately two million people in preparation for an influenza outbreak.