NIH has concluded, based on a clinical trial, that the drug hydroxychloroquine provides no benefit to patients hospitalized with the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The trial, consisting of nearly 500 patients was halted early in June after preliminary evidence showed hydroxychloroquine was unlikely to offer any benefit. Hydroxychloroquine is normally used as an anti-malarial and to treat lupus and arthritis, but early in the pandemic there was speculation that it could be used as a treatment for COVID-19. The study concluded that while the drug does not provide any harmful effects, there is no benefit to administering it to hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Final data and analysis of the trial is available online in the Journal of the American Medical Association.