Scientists initiate big study on effects of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19

British medical staff will begin a trial on Thursday to determine whether two anti-malarial drugs can also be used in the fight against the coronavirus. These include hydroxychloroquine, which it says US President Donald Trump takes preventively to prevent him from getting sick.

There are anecdotal evidence and some possible explanation on why hydroxychloroquine may prevent infection. However it wasn’t investigated in mass scale and with all the strict standards applied. Placebo effect wasn’t ruled out.

Over 40,000 caregivers in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America participate in the COPCOV study at Oxford University. Participants in the UK and other places around the world take hydroxychloroquine or a placebo for three months.

“We really don’t know yet whether the use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19 is positive or harmful,” says one of the researchers.

The first participants in the UK are healthcare providers in medical institutions in Brighton and Oxford. They are in close contact with corona patients or people who may be infected with the virus.

Researches are planned for 25 sites in the UK by the end of June. The results of the study are expected by the end of the year.