Fujifilm Holdings Corp. said Friday it has stopped development of its anti-viral drug Avigan for treating COVID-19, saying it was unable to confirm its effectiveness in a clinical trial. Avigan, initially developed as a drug for influenza, emerged as a potential treatment for the novel coronavirus in the early stage of the pandemic. The Japanese camera and medical equipment maker applied for government approval in October 2020. But a panel of experts at the health ministry did not authorize it, saying it was hard to confirm its effectiveness with the available data at the time.
