According to the multiple news articles the drug favipiravir (sold under the brand name Avigan), developed by Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, produced encouraging outcomes in clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen involving 340 patients.
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"It is very safe and clearly effective," said Zhang Xinmin, director of the science ministry's China National Center for Biotechnology Development, in a news conference.
Positive reception by Chinese government contrasts with reservations in Japan. It has been administered to coronavirus patients in Japan since February and the drug is not as effective in patients with more severe symptoms, The Guardian reported.