George Yeo 網路自強號

富士軟片改行做藥 意外成為伊波拉解藥

自由時報 2014-10-23  12:02

〔本報訊〕日本富士軟片（Fujifilm）以相機底片起家，隨著數位時代來臨，公司逐漸轉向美妝、製藥等產業發展，如今改革有成，意外研發出伊波拉病毒實驗藥品。

近年富士軟片的核心事業，隨著傳統相機式微而開始走下坡，讓執行長古森重隆決定改變營運方向，投入美妝、製藥等產業，其中，富士軟片在製藥領域表現更是傑出，研發出流感藥品Avigan，意外成了伊波拉病毒的解藥。

英國《金融時報》報導，今年10月，一名感染伊波拉病毒的法國護士，在接受Avigan治療後順利康復，讓原本應用在流感治療的Avigan意外成為伊波拉解藥，成為許多國家求援的對象，而為了控制疫情，富士軟片也宣布，將在11月起擴大生產該項藥品，以解決目前困境。

另一方面，自8月以來，富士軟片因流感藥品Avigan推出後，股價上漲16％，顯現公司改革有成，而富士軟片也持續看好新轉型的事業，預估由美妝、製藥及醫療器材組成的保健事業佔公司營收比重可逐漸增加，直到2018年營收可達1兆日圓（約新台幣2,838億元）。


Japan’s Experimental Ebola Drug Avigan Made By Fujifilm Subsidiary

By Kathleen Caulderwood @katcaulderk.caulderwood@ibtimes.com on August 26 2014 1:39 PM

The latest experimental Ebola treatment could come from Fujifilm. The Japanese camera company based in Tokyo ventured into the pharmaceutical industry five years ago, acquiring a company with an experimental flu vaccine that may soon be used to help patients fight the deadly Ebola virus disease.

With at least 1,427 people having died in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the most recent Ebola outbreak, health workers are scrambling to find possible treatments. The top candidate was ZMapp, made by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., headquartered in San Diego. ZMapp has been credited with helping two American aid workers who contracted the virus, as Reuters noted. However, its efficacy also has been questioned after a Liberian doctor died despite receiving the same treatment, as BBC News pointed out. In any case, the company recently warned that its available supply of ZMapp was exhausted, leaving authorities to looking elsewhere for another option.

“I am informed that medical professionals could make a request for [Fujifilm’s] T-705 in an emergency even before a decision by the WHO. In that case, we would like to respond under certain criteria,” Al Jazeera quoted Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga as telling reporters Monday.

The drug Avigan, aka favipiravir or T-705, is manufactured by biochemical developer Toyama Chemical Co. Ltd., a unit of Fujifilm Holdings Corp. (TYO:4901).

Fujifilm, widely known for its cameras, took a majority stake in Toyama back in 2008. “With film fading into the background, the company wants to apply its production expertise and nanotechnology techniques to drugmaking,” Businessweek’s Kenji Hall wrote in March of that year. At the time, Toyama’s influenza drugs were still in the experimental stage.

Despite its relatively recent foray into the life-sciences industry, the company “won’t try to catch up with the big boys,” according to Yuzo Toda, a director who spoke with Nikkei Asian Review.

In March, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare approved the use of Avigan as an anti-influenza drug that comes in the form of a 200-milligram tablet.

“Avigan has obtained the approval in Japan ahead of other countries after the authorities considered current situations of influenza,” Toyama said in a statement at the time. The drug will be “available to establish preparedness against the possible outbreak of novel or re-emerging influenza virus infections.”

The Japanese government approved Avigan for use against new strains of influenza, but the drug has yet to be tested for its efficacy against Ebola in either humans or monkeys, BBC News said.

Toyama’s American partner, Boston-based MediVector Inc., is currently in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to expand the drug’s use to Ebola patients. In 2012, the U.S. Defense Department awarded the privately held firm a $138.5 million contract to develop the drug for possible use against different kinds of flu viruses.

The current Ebola outbreak has killed about 55 percent of its victims, although the fatality rate has been around 90 percent during other outbreaks.

After Japan announced its intentions to help, Fujifilm’s share rose 4.0 percent and the company became the eighth most actively traded issue on the Tokyo Stock Exchange’s main board, Reuters reported.


富士軟片伊波拉新藥 Avigan 開始臨床試驗，還能對抗諾羅病毒

科技新報 作者 藍 弋丰 | 發布日期 2014 年 10 月 24 日

伊波拉疫情延燒，許多抗疫藥物也受到矚目，其中日本富士軟片（Fujifilm） 5 年前進軍製藥領域，買下的富山化學工業株式會社（富山化工）所開發的 Favipiravir，正式名稱 Avigan，由於產能齊備，被視為最可靠的抗疫武器之一，法國國家衛生醫學研究院（National Institute of Health and Medical Research）於 2014 年 10 月 21 日表示，將於西非國家幾內亞開始臨床試驗 Avigan 對伊波拉病毒的療效。

選定 Avigan 的主因，是考量藥廠的量產能力，以免試驗有效卻量產不及，趕不上疫情需求，10 月 21 日，富士軟片信誓旦旦表示，可以製造高達 30 萬劑 Avigan，而目前也已經有 2 萬劑存貨，成為目前各種新藥中存貨最有保障的一種，因此得到法國國家衛生醫學研究院的垂青。

Avigan 已提供給歐洲國家抗疫，法國感染伊波拉的女護士服用 Avigan 之後，於 9 月 19 日治癒，西班牙染病護士瑪莉亞‧特瑞莎（Maria Teresa Romero Ramos）也服用 Avigan，合併血清等療法，10 月 19 日身上已無病毒，雖然兩人用藥都有效，但由於兩人在醫院治療時同時接受多種療法，必須進一步臨床試驗，確定 Avigan 單一藥物的療效。研究團隊將於 11 月中，於幾內亞先進行 50 人的臨床試驗，預計 2015 年 1 月會判定得到初步結果，若成效良好，將於 2015 年 2 月起再進行更大規模的臨床試驗。

用途更廣身價看漲

Avigan 本是抗流感病毒藥物，由於流感與伊波拉同為 RNA 病毒，因此意外發現 Avigan 也能對抗伊波拉，也因此讓富士軟片股價水漲船高，如今 Avigan 的用途還可能更廣，劍橋大學研究發現，Avigan 在老鼠實驗中，還能對抗引起急性腸胃炎的諾羅病毒（Norovirus），這是由於 Avigan 干擾 RNA 病毒的複製過程，使得複製快速的諾羅病毒在複製過程中不斷出錯，終至自我毀滅。

對富士軟片來說，Avigan 能對抗更多種病毒，對營收獲利助益自然更大，也不用擔心萬一伊波拉疫情結束後，大量產能該怎麼辦的問題，對我們來說，當這次伊波拉疫情結束後，Avigan 仍會因治療流感、諾羅病毒的需求而持續生產、備貨，萬一下回伊波拉又爆發，馬上有藥可用，也能安心許多，但最重要的，仍是 Avigan 對抗伊波拉到底有沒有效，這將在幾內亞的臨床試驗中見分曉。

（題圖來源：Ebola-Fighting Drug from Japan Will Be Ready for Trial in November ）

藍 弋丰

台灣大學醫學系畢業，從事翻譯、圖文創作，關心歷史、財經、科技與生醫產業，於PTT擔任架空歷史板板主，著有《海角七號電影小說》、歷史小說《明騎西行記》，歷史著作《橡皮推翻了滿清》更榮獲第37屆金鼎獎非圖書類「最佳非文學圖書獎」