French Pasteur Institute aims to start human trials of Covid-19 drug this winter
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The Pasteur Institute in the northern French city of Lille has confirmed the discovery of a “very promising” drug in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, without naming it.
As infection rates climb in many European countries, including France, the Pasteur Institute in Lille recently confirmed the discovery in June of a drug molecule that has shown promise as a therapeutic treatment against the virus.
Like hydroxychloroquine — which was controversially touted as a possible treatment early on in the pandemic — it is not a new medicine, but one that has been used in the past to treat other conditions. It’s name has been kept a closely guarded secret, largely to avoid the same media frenzy that surrounded hydroxychloroquine, before it was largely discredited.
The unnamed drug has already undergone a number of laboratory studies, which found that it demonstrated “considerable power against the virus”, according to Dr. Benoît Deprez, scientific director of the Pasteur Institute in Lille.
The drug is expected to begin early clinical trials — which could cost an estimated €5 million — this winter, before being approved for use in patients with confirmed Covid-19 diagnoses.
