Fujifilm says new coronavirus test can produce results in two hours

[April 03, 2020]  TOKYO (Reuters) - Fujifilm Holdings Corp said it has developed a new, faster test for the novel coronavirus that that causes the COVID-19 disease, reducing the time of results delivery to about two hours.

The test was developed by subsidiary Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corp and will be released on April 15, the company said on Friday.

The SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR detection kit will be able to test for the virus faster than existing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, which take four to six hours, the company said.

Fujifilm's Avigan anti-flu drug is being tested as a treatment in China.

Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, told a news conference on Friday that the government has had requests for the drug from about 30 countires and is considering providing grant-free access.

(Reporting by Rocky Swift; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and David Goodman)

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