The Institut Pasteur de Lille announced Friday, October 9 the upcoming launch of a clinical trial to “
verify the effectiveness
” of a molecule tested in vitro against Covid-19, a project “
made possible
” by a donation of five million euros from luxury giant LVMH.
Read also: Has a drug against Covid been discovered by the Institut Pasteur de Lille?
"
Researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Lille have recently identified a molecule that is particularly effective - in vitro - against the SARS-Cov-2 virus
," said in a press release the Institute, a private research foundation recognized as being of public utility.
To "
continue their work
" and "
confirm the effectiveness of this treatment, researchers must now proceed to a clinical trial as soon as possible
," he adds.
The latter, planned "
on a large scale
" will be financed by an "
exceptional contribution
" from the luxury group LVMH, which "
came into contact
" with the establishment "
from the announcement of its first results on this work
".
"
It is vital that this research can continue and it is for this purpose that I decided to provide support for this crucial phase of clinical trials
", explains Bernard Arnault, quoted in the press release.
A molecule that would be very effective against the virus
The molecule presented by the management of the institute as "
very promising
" was identified by the start-up Apteeus, hosted by the Institute and specializing in the repositioning of drugs, which has scrutinized 2000 of them, already given to humans.
Read also: Covid-19: the vaccine from the Institut Pasteur will finally be tested on humans
This molecule, which seems to have great power against the virus, "
will be unparalleled if it is demonstrated that it works in vivo
", Xavier Nassif indicated at the end of September.
Belonging to the category of antivirals, it is used in a drug which is currently available "
only in certain countries of Europe
", according to him.
