A molecule, kept secret, capable of stopping the virus has been identified and is being tested by researchers at the Institut Pasteur in Lille.
- This molecule is effective from the moment the infection breaks out.
- It reduces the viral load very quickly.
- Marketing is expected for 2021.
The treatment, before the vaccine? At the Institut Pasteur in Lille, researchers are studying a molecule that would reduce the viral load of patients infected with Covid-19 very soon after contamination. They would be the only ones to have identified him. This molecule is also already present on the pharmaceutical industry market.
More than 2,000 molecules tested
The advantage of this molecule is that it is effective in stopping the virus as soon as the infection breaks out. “It would be a drug that we take as soon as possible, as soon as we have confirmation that we are infected with the virus.continues Terence Beghyn, researcher and founding president of Apteeus, to franceinfo. The idea being to reduce the viral load as quickly as possible for two reasons: the first, to reduce the period of contagion of infected patients, and the second to prevent these patients from progressing to more serious symptoms..”
To find this molecule, the researchers used a chemical library, a library of molecules. They studied more than 2,000 molecules before finding which one is effective in stopping the virus. The cultures were then analyzed by Dr. Sandrine Belouzard, of the CNRS, one of the only coronavirus specialists in France. As early as last August, researchers were pleased to have found a molecule that works. “I can tell you that we have a molecule that really interests us and which has proven to be particularly effective in laboratory tests.rejoiced Daniel Camus, professor and medical epidemiologist at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, at France 3. We have good hopes. It could be used at very low doses, which would avoid the risks of toxicity and would be aimed at all age groups..”
Marketing planned for 2021
The researchers are currently seeking funding. They are trying to release 5 million euros in funds so that they can start clinical trials on patients with Covid-19. If they succeed, they hope to market the treatment as early as 2021.
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