The work carried out under the direction of Didier Raoult again in the viewfinder. The Ministers of Health and Research took legal action on Monday, September 5 after the publication of a new report on the Marseille IHU, which confirms “serious malfunctions” when this scientific institute was under the leadership of the now famous professor.
This final administrative report of the Igeneral inspection of social affairs (Igas)published on Monday, “highlights serious malfunctions of the IHU”and “many elements” are “likely to constitute offenses or serious breaches of health or research regulations”, declare ministers François Braun and Sylvie Retailleau in a joint press release. They specify that they have seized the public prosecutor of Marseille.
In the light of this damning document, the ministers point “certain widespread inappropriate medical and scientific practices” within the Mediterranean Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU-MI) created in 2011, and directed by Pr Didier Raoult until the end of August. He was replaced on September 1 by one of his relatives, Pierre-Edouard Fournier.
Practices are pointed out “not respecting the regulations and which could generate a health risk for patients, in particular during research protocols”of the “drifts in management practices, which can generate harassment and ill-being at work”of the “excesses in governance, which does not strictly respect the rules governing the foundations of scientific cooperation”the statement said.
A gradual deterioration in the institution’s financial situation is also mentioned. The report from Igas and its counterpart for higher education and research (Igesr) covers a wider field than a previous report, already scathing, published a few months ago by the Medicines Agency (ANSM) . Excerpts from its preliminary version had been disclosed in early July by Provence and Mediapart.
Among other practices “of such a nature as to fall under a criminal qualification”the Igas-Igesr inspectors note that patients treated at the IHU for Covid-19 or tuberculosis were being administered “molecules outside their marketing authorization”.