In a press release, the Nice University Hospital (CHU) specifies that “the patients who will be part of this trial will be selected by the investigating physicians (infectious disease specialists, pulmonologists, and intensivists) according to objective clinical and scientific criteria. The consent of the patient or the family will also be required. The purpose of the study is notably to determine the efficacy and side effects of the treatments.”
This drug, an antimalarial, has shown encouraging results in China and France but is sparking debate within the medical community.
The Nice University Hospital is part of the European clinical trial aiming to evaluate four experimental treatments to fight against the coronavirus, which started in France, the National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) announced this Sunday.
This trial, which includes chloroquine, “aims to analyze the effectiveness and tolerance of therapeutic options for patients in a limited time,” explains Inserm in a statement.
Several French hospitals will participate (Paris – Bichat-AP-HP hospital, Lille, Nantes, Strasbourg, Lyon, Nice…) in the clinical trial. Eventually, around twenty hospital establishments may be associated with these tests. In total, 3,200 European patients, including 800 French patients, could be part of this study.
Health Minister Olivier Véran indicated that he had requested that the study conducted by Professor Raoult “be replicated on a larger scale in other hospital centers, by other independent teams.” A necessary complement because “no country in the world has ever granted treatment authorization based on a study like this,” he argued.
