 "Fujifilm to partner Dr Reddy's to sell Avigan as coronavirus treatment")
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Fujifilm Holdings Corp said on Wednesday it was partnering with Dr Reddy's Laboratories to sell the anti-flu drug Avigan in India and elsewhere to treat COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.
The agreement provides for Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, a unit of the Japanese company, to grant Dr. Reddy's and Dubai-based Global Response Aid the right to develop, make and sell Avigan overseas and get a lump-sum license fee and royalties on sales.
In June, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd received regulatory approval for favipiravir, the generic form of Avigan, as a treatment for mild-to-moderate virus infections in India.
Japanese approval of Avigan for virus treatment was delayed amid a lack of patients for clinical trials.
Fujifilm will allow Dr. Reddy's to use its production patents as well as clinical data, the Japanese company said in a statement.
Dr. Reddy's and GRA will use the data for clinical studies, targeting virus patients in India, the Middle East, and other regions.
(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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