French institute to start human trials of ‘promising’ Covid-19 cure
Jonas Danquah 
The Pasteur Institute in the northern French city of Lille has confirmed the discovery of a “very promising” drug in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, without naming it.
FRANCE 24 spoke to the institute's director-general about the potential new treatment ahead of the first clinical trials.
Hope in the time of Covid-19. As infection rates climb in many European countries, including France, the Pasteur Institute in Lille recently confirmed the discovery in June of a drug molecule that has shown promise as a therapeutic treatment against the virus.
Like hydroxychloroquine — which was controversially touted as a possible treatment early on in the pandemic — it is not a new medicine, but one that has been used in the past to treat other conditions. It’s name has been kept a closely guarded secret, largely to avoid the same media frenzy that surrounded hydroxychloroquine, before it was largely discredited.
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The unnamed drug has already undergone a number of laboratory studies, which found that it demonstrated “considerable power against the virus”, according to Dr. Benoît Deprez, scientific director of the Pasteur Institute in Lille.
The drug is expected to begin early clinical trials — which could cost an estimated €5 million — this winter, before being approved for use in patients with confirmed Covid-19 diagnoses. FRANCE 24 spoke with the director-general of the Pasteur Institute in Lille, Dr. Xavier Nassif, about the research centre’s potential “discovery”.
SOURCE: France24
