The Institut Pasteur in Lille said Monday, September 6, that it was seeking participants for its clinical trial. The aim is to test a drug, clofoctol, in order to use it to reduce severe forms of Covid-19.
The Institut Pasteur de Lille is recruiting volunteers
As part of its research, the private foundation’s project, called THERAPIDE, had already been labeled “ National Research Priority Last April, which allowed him to quickly launch clinical trials on humans. On June 10, the National Medicines Safety Agency also gave its approval. The summer period as well as the vaccination campaign carried out in France slightly delayed the start of these trials. However, the Institut Pasteur de Lille announced that it had recruited its first volunteer on Monday, September 6. Five centers opened on June 14 in Senlis, Maubeuge, Château-Thierry and Lille. Other sites are also open only in the Hauts-de-France region for the moment. A map showing all the available centers has been published by the foundation. The Institute wishes to recruit between 350 and 700 patients.
To participate in the study, several inclusion criteria were defined, namely:
- be at least 50 years old;
- have a recent positive test;
- have at least one symptom of Covid-19;
- not be vaccinated.
The start of this phase 2/3 clinical trial is definitely useful, because, as Xavier Nassif, director of the Institut Pasteur de Lille, believes, “ not all countries have the same access to immunization. In addition, a fifth wave of the epidemic could arrive by this fall.
The molecule tested is clofoctol
The name of the molecule, kept secret at the beginning, was finally revealed by the foundation some time ago. The scientists, thanks to their chemical library and the help of the start-up Apteeus, have succeeded in identifying a molecule “ particularly potent against SARS-CoV-2. “It is therefore clofoctol, which is effective for” inhibit virus replication “, That is to say, prevent the multiplication of the coronavirus within cells. Clofoctol therefore has an antiviral action by reducing the amount of virus in the body.
The advantage of this drug is that it was already marketed in France until 2005 under the name Octofene, in particular to treat respiratory infections linked to bacteria. It could be taken by patients as a suppository to prevent hospitalization and thus reduce the risk of severe forms of Covid-19.
