INTERVIEW
The circulation of the Covid-19 slows down on French territory but the threat of a second wave still looms. To avoid this, many studies are underway around the world to find an effective treatment against coronavirus. Some have already given their results but Odile Launay, infectiologist and head of the vaccine research center at Cochin hospital, said on Saturday on Europe 1 that "we must remain careful".
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A study published in the scientific journal The Lancet caused controversy this week. Its authors concluded that chloroquine, a drug whose merits are praised by Professor Raoult, was not effective or even dangerous for patients. These results were shared by some scientists while others even claimed that this study was biased.
A new hope
A new study published on Saturday morning, however, announces encouraging results concerning a drug used for rheumatic diseases. In this case, for Odile Launay, the scientists discovered "interesting results" but "we must remain cautious".
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For the doctor, the methodology followed within the framework of this study seems serious. It is, according to her, a "French study in a hospital which did not participate in a randomized trial" ("when we draw lots of treatments"). This study is thus related to those which apply a particular method: when "doctors treat with potentially effective drugs" before publishing results.
The race for treatment
The infectious disease specialist explains that not all studies are created equal and all the more so in the midst of a health crisis. "We had no treatment when the epidemic started so the studies started. It is difficult to have studies with scientifically and methodologically correct results," she said. According to her, "when you don't have a drug, you want to try to treat patients at all costs especially when you know the mortality of this virus". But "you have to wait until you have the results of the tests [...] to know if this or that treatment is effective", continues the specialist.
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Knowing that no reliable treatment has yet been discovered, Odile Launay therefore recommends everyone's participation in a collective effort to protect the weakest and avoid the formation of "clusters". "The virus is circulating but with a very low intensity. This allows us to go a little faster towards deconfinement while emphasizing the importance of barrier measures," she explains. Mass screening is also a way to fight a resumption of the epidemic, she said. "As soon as you feel a symptom and you have a doubt about an infection with this virus you should not hesitate, you must be tested to be able to isolate the infected cases", recommends- she.