Six people are in a critical condition – including one in a coma – after clinical trial of new drug in France, the country’s health minister says.
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“A serious accident took place”, the minister said in a statement, adding that the study had been halted and all volunteers taking part recalled.
The six volunteers were thought to have been in good health until taking the medication orally. The Paris prosecutor’s spokeswoman Agnes Thibaut-Lecuivre wasn’t immediately available for comment.
‘This test was carried out at a private establishment specialised in carrying out clinical trials, ‘ the ministry added.
The lab informed officials overnight about the accident and subsequent interruption of the trial, the ministry said in a statement.
The trial aimed to evaluate the “safety, tolerance and pharmaceutical properties of the molecule” in volunteers.
French media reported that the trial was for a cannabis-based painkiller.
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The health minister, who has rushed to Rennes, is expected to give a press conference on the incident at 4.30pm (local time).
