Novartis will test hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of coronavirus

has reached an agreement with U.S. regulators to conduct phase III clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine in inpatients with
COVID-19
diseases.The study, which will include approximately
440,
patients, follows early preclinical and clinical evidence that hydroxychloroquine, used to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases, may be beneficial in the fight against the virus.Patients in the trial will be randomly divided into three groups of
: the first group of
receiving hydroxychloroquine, the second group receiving a combination of hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, and the third group receiving a placebo.The Swiss pharmaceutical giant said it planned to begin registering for the study in the coming weeks and promised to report the results as soon as possible.In addition, in order to ensure widespread access to hydroxychloroquine as soon as possible, Novarma Pharmaceuticals will indicate that it will use non-exclusive voluntary permits, appropriate exemptions or similar mechanisms to make any intellectual property rights under its control related to the use of hydroxychloroquine for treatment or prevention of
COVID-19
feasible.
John S. Smith, Novart's head of global drug development and chief medical officer,
.
'We recognize the
importance of answering the scientific question of whether hydroxychloroquine is beneficial to patients with
COVID-19
disease, and in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we will quickly mobilize to address this issue,' said john Tsai
. （
cyy123.com
）