Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- With no established cure for a new coronavirus, South Korea considers importing Avigan, an anti-influenza drug produced by a unit of Japan's Fujifilm group as a spike in the number of confirmed cases embarrassed health officials and filled up isolation wards.

Discussion is under way with a state clinical committee on whether to use Avigan for patients infected with COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, a South Korean government health agency. Japan has a stockpile of Avigan for about two million people to prepare for the outbreak of a new type of influenza.

"We are considering measures to introduce (Avigan) by applying import specials," Minister Lee Eui-kyung told a regular briefing on Tuesday. "For now, we know that mainly malaria and AIDS drugs are being used."

South Korean doctors have formed a task force to find proper treatment by mixing antiviral drugs used to treat flu and HIV. Kaletra, an anti-retroviral medication used for AIDS treatment, was commonly applied, but doctors were not sure whether it played a crucial role in treating patients who have fully recovered.

The number of confirmed coronavirus patients has soared to 893 as of Tuesday afternoon. The virus has killed nine people.