Fujifilm research into COVID-19 drug spills into June, dashing hope of May approval

FILE PHOTO: A tablet of Avigan (generic name: Favipiravir), a drug developed as an anti-influenza treatment by a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings, is displayed during a photo opportunity at Fujifilm's headquarters in Tokyo, Oct. 22, 2014. REUTERS/Issei Kato

TOKYO (Reuters) - Research into Fujifilm Holdings Corp's Avigan will continue into June, Japan's government said on Tuesday, effectively dashing hopes by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the drug would be approved as a COVID-19 treatment this month.

Abe had said he hoped the drug would be approved in May if its efficacy and safety could be confirmed.