Chinese pursuit of Avigan patent faces pushback in Japan
Fujifilm intellectual property cited as reason to 'reject' Beijing lab's application
The patent filing by China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences covers favipiravir, the generic name for Avigan, as a treatment for COVID-19.
WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writer
September 16, 2021 14:00 JST
TOKYO -- A Chinese lab attempting to patent the use of anti-flu drug Avigan for the treatment of COVID-19 is facing pushback in Japan, where the medicine was originally developed.
The Beijing-based Academy of Military Medical Sciences obtained a patent for the use of favipiravir, the chemical compound behind Avigan, in China earlier this year, and has applied for similar intellectual property rights in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.
Toyama Chemical -- currently a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings -- developed favipiravir in 1998 and received approval in 2014 for its use to treat novel or reemerging influenza. Companies and research institutions can obtain a patent for new applications of the drug, as AMMS is seeking to do.
But according to a document submitted to Japan's Patent Office in August and seen by Nikkei Asia, the claims by the AMMS "should be rejected." The document cites a past patent filing by Toyama Chemical and academic papers arguing that the efficacy of favipiravir against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus has been demonstrated, and that both SARS and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, belong to the same coronavirus family.
The document submitted in August -- known as a submission of information -- was presented anonymously, a common industry practice to avoid being targeted by the party filing for the patent, in this case the AMMS. Patent judges usually take into account such information when making a decision.
The outcome of the application may have major implications for Fujifilm's ambitions for Avigan. The company has been aiming since last year to obtain
NIKKEI Asia の本日記事
Chinese pursuit of Avigan patent faces pushback in Japan
Fujifilm intellectual property cited as reason to 'reject' Beijing lab's application
The patent filing by China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences covers favipiravir, the generic name for Avigan, as a treatment for COVID-19.
WATARU SUZUKI, Nikkei staff writer
September 16, 2021 14:00 JST
TOKYO -- A Chinese lab attempting to patent the use of anti-flu drug Avigan for the treatment of COVID-19 is facing pushback in Japan, where the medicine was originally developed.
The Beijing-based Academy of Military Medical Sciences obtained a patent for the use of favipiravir, the chemical compound behind Avigan, in China earlier this year, and has applied for similar intellectual property rights in Japan, the U.S. and Europe.
Toyama Chemical -- currently a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings -- developed favipiravir in 1998 and received approval in 2014 for its use to treat novel or reemerging influenza. Companies and research institutions can obtain a patent for new applications of the drug, as AMMS is seeking to do.
But according to a document submitted to Japan's Patent Office in August and seen by Nikkei Asia, the claims by the AMMS "should be rejected." The document cites a past patent filing by Toyama Chemical and academic papers arguing that the efficacy of favipiravir against the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus has been demonstrated, and that both SARS and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, belong to the same coronavirus family.
The document submitted in August -- known as a submission of information -- was presented anonymously, a common industry practice to avoid being targeted by the party filing for the patent, in this case the AMMS. Patent judges usually take into account such information when making a decision.
The outcome of the application may have major implications for Fujifilm's ambitions for Avigan. The company has been aiming since last year to obtain