[PARIS] Six people are seriously ill after taking part in a medical trial for an unnamed European laboratory to test a new drug, France's health ministry said on Friday.

The ministry did not say what the medecine was intended to be used for, but said the six patients, one of whom was in a coma, had been in good health until taking the oral medication. "This test was carried out at a private establishment specialised in carrying out clinical trials," the ministry said.

All trials on the drug at the clinic in Rennes in Brittany have now been suspended.

REUTERS