A drug trial in France has gone wrong, according to reports, as six people are reported to be in “critical condition,” with at least one in a coma. As yet, there are few details as to what the drug trial was investigating, or which European laboratory was responsible, the health minister for France has said. 

“This test was carried out at a private establishment specialized in carrying out clinical trials,” is all the ministry has said so far, Reuters reports, adding that the six participants, who were believed to be taking oral medication, were in apparent good health until very recently. All drugs trials taking place at a drug clinic in Rennes, Brittany have, however, been halted for the time being.

Details at the moment are very thin on the ground, and until more information is released, it is unknown exactly what situation the participants are in, or what drug they were trialing. We'll keep you updated as more is known about the situation. 

Update 14:48 GMT: Despite earlier reports from the French media that the drug involved was a “cannabis-based painkiller,” the French health minister, Marisol Touraine, has denied these rumors. Traveling to the clinic at which the trials were taking place, she pledged “to get to the bottom... of this tragic accident.” 

It has been further reported that the trial was at stage one, in which volunteers take the new medicine to test the safety of the drug and whether there are any side effects involved.