The Institut Pasteur in Lille (North) announced on Monday that it had recruited its first patient for a clinical trial as part of the search for a treatment against Covid-19.
He is looking for hundreds more for this trial, which is entering its second phase.
The trial, for which the Institute obtained the green light from the National Medicines Safety Agency in mid-June, must measure the effectiveness of clofoctol in preventing hospitalization and in early treatment. of patients with Covid-19.
Read alsoCovid-19: the events of the day live
But given the time taken for the authorizations, expected since January, the criteria in the choice of patients (aged over 50, unvaccinated and presenting at least one symptom of Covid-19), the progress of vaccination in France and the interval of the summer holidays, "it does not start until now", explained Professor Xavier Nassif, Director General of the Institute.
Two suppositories per day for five days
Pasteur wishes to recruit “between 350 and 700 patients” through general practitioners and laboratories. For the time being, recruitments only concern Hauts-de-France, but "we are trying to extend them to other regions, especially the West Indies," said Xavier Nassif. "It would have been easier to do it six months ago", but, despite the progress of vaccination in France "everyone remains motivated, because we do not know how this epidemic will end", and that " all countries do not have the same access to vaccination, ”he insisted.
Labeled “National Research Priority” since April 6, 2021, the clinical trial is an “adaptive, outpatient, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study aimed at evaluating safety and tolerance. and the efficacy of clofoctol (…) in patients with symptomatic Covid-19 at the early stage ”, specifies the Institute in the description of the protocol followed.
The molecule should be administered to patients as a suppository, two per day for five days. "Particularly effective in inhibiting the replication of the virus", according to the Institute, the clofoctol molecule is already marketed in France and in other European countries, in an indication other than that of Covid-19. The Institute received a donation of five million euros from the luxury giant LVMH, owner of the “Parisien”, to finance this test.
