Kaneka Corporation ( 
https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2778913-1&h=268457513&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaneka.co.jp%2F&a=Kaneka+Corporation 
) (President: Minoru Tanaka) has reached an agreement with FUJIFILM Corporation 
(President: Kenji Sukeno) to supply drug substances for anti-influenza drug, 
Avigan(R) Tablet (generic name: favipiravir), for the novel coronavirus disease 
(referred to below as COVID-19).

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While COVID-19 continues to spread, the Japanese government has decided to 
increase its stockpiles of Avigan(R) Tablet, which is expected to be effective 
against COVID-19, for up to 2 million people, and FUJIFILM Corporation has 
expanded its production system and started increasing its production of 
Avigan(R) Tablet.

We have been highly commended by major pharmaceutical manufacturers around the 
world for our process development capabilities, manufacturing technology, and 
quality of pharmaceuticals cultivated over many years, and on this occasion, we 
have been requested to supply drug substances as a major supplier. We believe 
that it is our social mission to promptly start the supply of drug substances 
for Avigan(R) Tablet, and we will urgently improve our manufacturing system 
through capital investment, personnel allocation changes, and production plan 
adjustments to begin supplying the drug substances in July.

We have already started supplying PCR reagents used for COVID-19 tests via our 
group company Kaneka Eurogentec (Headquarters: Belgium). In addition, we are 
enhancing our contracted manufacturing efforts for a COVID-19 vaccine using 
technologies such as high-quality mRNA and plasmid DNA and are handling an 
onrush of inquiries.

Kaneka will put in every effort to provide solutions to the COVID-19 for 
worldwide health.

Contact: Kazuhiko Fujii, kazuhiko.fujii@kaneka.co.jp

SOURCE: Kaneka Corporation