From the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis and the containment measures announced by the President of the Republic, EPI-PHARE reaffirmed to its institutional members its unwavering commitment and full mobilization in fulfilling its mission during this unprecedented period. All EPI-PHARE staff remained actively engaged, including those in direct contact with patients within healthcare facilities, ensuring the continuity of clinical activities.

While maintaining its core operations, EPI-PHARE also redirected a significant portion of its work program to address issues related to the COVID-19 epidemic. Since the first lockdown in March 2020, EPI-PHARE has leveraged its expertise to quantify and characterize the use and risks of health products affected by this crisis. In doing so, it has provided critical insights and evidence to public authorities, in line with its targeted program focused on emergency situations and health crises.

Specifically, EPI-PHARE initiated and coordinated studies on the use of health products in France during and after lockdown, the risk of severe COVID-19 associated with certain medications, and the analysis of factors linked to COVID-19 risk in the general French population—including residual risks post-vaccination. It also contributed to the pharmacovigilance component of the enhanced surveillance system for COVID-19 vaccines, conducting both risk and effectiveness studies.

The findings from EPI-PHARE’s research since the beginning of the pandemic have been widely utilized by health authorities to inform decision-making. These results provided timely support for measures such as continuing infant vaccination and the diagnosis and treatment of certain diseases during the epidemic. They also guided the adaptation of France’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy, prioritizing high-risk patient groups—such as those with Down syndrome—who faced elevated risks of hospitalization or death from COVID-19. Additionally, the data enabled French authorities to adjust vaccination recommendations after quantifying the risk of myocarditis in individuals under 30 following mRNA vaccination.

Beyond making its study reports publicly available (in French only), EPI-PHARE prioritized publishing its findings in international peer-reviewed journals. This dual approach aimed to strengthen the scientific credibility of its work through peer review and to contribute transparently to the global scientific effort against the pandemic. Since the outbreak began, EPI-PHARE has released all its reports (in French, on the french version of this website) and published numerous articles in international journals. A comprehensive overview of its COVID-19 studies was also featured in Therapies, the journal of the French Society of Pharmacology and Therapeutics (SFPT).

You will find below all the references of peer-reviewed articles published by EPI-PHARE on the topic of COVID-19.