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Tokyo, February 23 (Jiji Press) – A Japanese medical institution started Saturday using Avigan, an anti-flu drug, to treat people infected with the new coronavirus, health minister Katsunobu Kato said on the same day.
There is no established treatment for the COVID-19 virus. Avigan will be used extensively to treat patients with coronavirus if its efficacy is confirmed.
Avigan is effective in curbing the growth of the virus and two medical institutions are preparing to use it, according to Kato.
The drug was used for treatment as part of an observation study after patient consent was obtained and other related procedures were taken at the medical institution.
Avigan is not distributed on the market. The government has a drug supply for around two million people to prepare for the outbreak of a new type of flu and provides it to medical institutions when treatment is provided.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Jiji Press
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