British healthcare workers will on Thursday begin taking part in a University of Oxford-led international trial of two anti-malarial drugs to see if they can prevent COVID-19, including one U.S. President Donald Trump, says he has been taking.
The ‘COPCOV’ study will involve more than 40,000 frontline healthcare workers from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America to determine if chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are effective in preventing the novel coronavirus.
Demand for hydroxychloroquine surged after Trump touted it in early April. Earlier this week the U.S. leader said he was now taking the drug as preventive medicine against the virus despite medical warnings about its use.
In Britain, Europe and Africa participants will receive either hydroxychloroquine or a placebo for three months. In Asia, they will receive either chloroquine or a placebo.
