FILE PHOTO: Fujifilm's company logo (top) is seen at its exhibition hall nearby the headquarters of Fujifilm Holdings Corp in Tokyo, Japan June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Fujifilm Holdings Corp said it will start phase II clinical trials of its anti-flu drug Avigan for COVID-19 patients in the United States.

The trial will enrol about 50 COVID-19 patients in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Fujifilm said on Thursday.

On March 31, Fujifilm announced the start of a phase III clinical trial of Avigan for COVID-19 patients in Japan.