AKIPRESS.COM - Japanese officials are ready to provide an anti-flu drug as a potential treatment to fight the rapidly-expanding Ebola outbreak, the Associated Press reports.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that Japan can offer the favipiravir tablet, developed by a subsidiary of Fujifilm Holdings, any time at the request of the World Health Organisation.

The drug, developed by Fujifilm subsidiary Toyama Chemical to treat novel and re-emerging influenza viruses, was approved by the Japanese health ministry in March.

Fujifilm spokesman Takao Aoki said ebola and influenza viruses are the same type and theoretically similar effects can be expected on Ebola.

He said the drug has also proved effective in lab experiments on mice.

Fujifilm said it has favipiravir stock for more than 20,000 patients.

The company is also in talks with the US Food and Drug Administration on clinical testing of the drug in treating Ebola.

Favipiravir is one of only a few drugs that may work on Ebola.

Recently, two Americans have been treated with another experimental drug called ZMapp, developed by San Diego Mapp Biopharmaceutical.

Ebola has killed more than 1,400 people in west Africa in the latest outbreak.