TOKYO -- Japan's push to triple its stockpile of anti-flu medicine Avigan for coronavirus treatment has proven a challenge as the lack of a raw ingredient from China forces Fujifilm Holdings to switch to a domestic supplier.
The frantic scramble for a production boost has highlighted Japan's heavy reliance on foreign-sourced ingredients as well as the nation's slow drug approval process -- issues both the government and pharmaceutical sector will have to grapple with.
