The study co-signed by Didier Raoult draws the ire of the government. On Sunday, a forum of organizations involved in medical research posted on The world denounced the publication for scientific purposes of a study based on “wild” clinical trials carried out between March 2020 and the end of 2021 using unauthorized prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine carried out by the IHU Méditerranée Infection de Marseille to treat COVID-19. Didier Raoult was then the director.
In their forum, the signatories demanded sanctions so that these practices do not become general, to which Didier Raoult indicated that it is a “tribune of imbeciles”. According to an article in Sunday newspaper published on Saturday, the Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) is considering the possibility of taking legal action on these trials.
This Wednesday, the Ministry of Health indicates in a press release to BFMTV that it condemns the publication of these results, after having warned of the “serious dysfunctions” that constituted these prescriptions.
“Violation of ethical and deontological norms”
“Proposing a publication resulting from these inappropriate and dangerous prescriptions, whose methodology is questionable, is a new breach of ethical and deontological standards,” considers the Ministry of Health.
The Ministries of Health as well as of Research and Higher Education, which have taken joint knowledge of the case, indicate that “they will (…) be brought to the attention of the founding establishments and the management of the IHU-IM as soon as possible.”
“Only a clinical trial that has received the agreement of ethical and regulatory authorities could lead to this proposed result. This agreement would not have been obtained given the state of the art at this time. Let’s add that it is not a publication in an evaluated scientific journal, but a manuscript put online before its evaluation”, denounces the Ministry of Health.
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The ministers François Braun (Health) and Sylvie Retailleau (Higher Education and Research), denounced in September “serious dysfunctions” within the IHU after a report by the public inspection services (IGAS-IGESR) that indicated that the prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine “they did not respect the regulations in force and that could generate a risk for the health of the patients”.
Then they arrested the Marseille prosecutor “so that justice sheds light on the unacceptable practices of the IHU.” The Marseille prosecutor’s office then opened a judicial investigation into the operation of the IHU during the pandemic.
In October, the IHU management was convened by the two ministries to discuss these dysfunctions and follow the recommendations made by the public inspections. IHU officials told the ministries and ANSM in January 2023 that “inappropriate and dangerous prescriptions” had ceased since the October exchange.
Source: BFM TV
