As vaccines face rollout challenges, Nantes-based Xenothera announces a breakthrough COVID-19 drug, Xav-19. Large-scale production awaits ANSM approval and state pre-orders.
For over a year, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed lives and disrupted daily routines worldwide. Since early 2021, vaccines have become available in France, but issues like age-based prioritization, supply inconsistencies, and AstraZeneca concerns persist. Critically, working-age adults remain largely unvaccinated.
Hope emerges from Xenothera in Nantes. In a March 2021 newsletter, the lab highlighted its anti-SARS-CoV-2 drug. President Odile Duvaux shared Phase 1 trial results, positioning Xav-19 for temporary use authorization from France's ANSM.
Led by Nantes University Hospital (CHU Nantes), Phase 1 tested Xav-19—a polyclonal antibody cocktail targeting the virus—on 398 patients across 35 hospitals. Full results remain unpublished due to global precautionary standards, as Duvaux noted in a France 3 interview on March 25, 2021: “This precautionary principle applies worldwide, yet countries like England publish trial data within a month.”
Xenothera awaits ANSM clearance and pre-orders from France and beyond. If approved, Xav-19 could enter mass production. This therapeutic won't prevent infection or replace vaccines but promises to treat active cases, potentially saving lives amid ongoing vaccination efforts.
