Japan picks three COVID-19 drug candidates to get research funds

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds a small bottle labelled with a "Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccine" sticker and a medical syringe in this illustration taken October 30, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has selected three candidates for COVID-19 treatments to receive subsidies for clinical trials, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

The drugs are AstraZeneca Plc's antibody treatment AZD7442, Shionogi & Co's protease inhibitor S-217622, and Fujifilm Holding Corp's antiviral favipiravir, known commercially as Avigan.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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