In a fortnight, an anti-Covid spray made in France could land on the shelves.
And this is far from being the only example of French innovation.
In terms of protection against the coronavirus, French companies compete with each other in inventions.
The company BioSerenity has succeeded in designing, with the help of researchers from the University and the University Hospital of Lille (North), Inserm and CNRS, a product "filtering and decontaminating" against Covid-19.
Manufactured in Troyes (Aube) and available in a few weeks at 0.44 euro per unit in their consumer version, Cidaltex masks are designed with a filtering textile layer in which two molecules, cyclodextrin and quaternary ammonia, can "Kill" the virus and prevent it from gaining access to the respiratory tract.
The studies showed a reduction of the virus, including the variants, of 99.9% in less than five minutes, and of 99.96% in less than two hours, according to Nicolas Blanchemain, professor at the faculty of pharmacy of Lille and researcher at Inserm.
Sports signs
At the same time, two French brands have put their research centers to work to design masks dedicated to sport.
The Decathlon brand plans to market models made from recycled polyester by the end of March.
The Savoyard brand Salomon puts on the market a washable sports mask (18 euros in classic version, 40 euros for the neck strap model for skiing) designed both to filter the virus but also polluting particles, while facilitating the intense breathing of a person in full physical activity.
VIDEO. "We integrated a breathing cage", how Salomon manufactures its masks for athletes
“The idea came from my father who, after leaving the first confinement, was afraid of not having gel on hand when necessary.
He was also thinking of his grandchildren, ”says Sylvain Doliveux.
From this anxiety was born his “Lemon” bracelet, made of silicone and whose reservoir is pressed with the thumb to release a dose of hydroalcoholic solution.
The hydroalcoholic gel dispenser bracelet.
/Lemon
Sold for 15.90 euros online with its recharge, the bracelet imagined by this tax exemption advisor has already sold several thousand copies.
A regret for Sylvain Doliveux all the same: he had to resolve to have it manufactured in China, for lack of having found a reasonable price in France.
Nasal spray, a serious lead
The race to develop a nasal spray to protect against the virus is much more complicated.
Difficult, for the many companies which have launched themselves, to find the effective formula and to have it validated.
The Covispray, which was to be available in November at a price of 8 to 10 euros per bottle, is still not on the shelves.
“The project is on stand-by, laments a representative of the Vitrobio company based in Issoire (Puy-de-Dôme).
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Clinical studies with a test population were completed a month ago and the data are now in the hands of the ANSM (
Editor's note: National Medicines Safety Agency
).
Like all companies that have developed this type of product, the signs that are coming back to us are not very favorable ... "
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Will the spray presented a few days ago by the company P&B (Pharma and Beauty Group) from Saint-Chamas (Bouches-du-Rhône) be more successful?
Made from ionized water with antimicrobial properties, it promises to eliminate 99% of the viral load.
If the effectiveness has been validated in the laboratory, in particular by the University Hospital Institute for Infectious Diseases of Marseille, the formula makes the ENT union cough, which sees it above all as "an additional barrier gesture, a little extra" but not a treatment. full-fledged medicinal product.
P&B is, like Vitrobio, awaiting the opinion of the ANSM to be able to launch the production of these 30 ml bottles which will be sold 14.90 euros.
Despite the uncertainties and doubts they raise, sprays remain a serious avenue, in addition to the vaccine.
Philippe Karoyan's team, researcher at the CNRS and professor at the Sorbonne biomolecules laboratory, has also been working on it for a few months after discovering the decoy effect against the Covid of a peptide molecule.