PR83705

TOKYO, April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

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