On Apr. 9, 2020, Laurent Pharmaceuticals announced that a spin off from McGill University planned to test its lead drug LAU-7b in patients with COVID-19 disease, as part of a Phase 2 clinical trial.

LAU-7b is a novel once-a-day oral form of fenretinide, an investigational drug under development by Laurent Pharma for its ability to help control inflammation in the lungs.