The lack of treatment options for COVID-19 patients, potential promise in repurposing drugs, and controversy surrounding the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine have created a storm of questions about the drug’s efficacy that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is ready to answer. To do that, the organization is sponsoring a large randomized, controlled clinical trial to determine whether hydroxychloroquine, given in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin, can prevent hospitalization and death due to COVID-19.
