Evaluating the safety and efficacy of antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19, a clinical trial has been initiated in the United States of America. The initial enrolment is undergoing in Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, US. 

The Prevention and Early Treatment of Acute Lung Injury (PETAL) Clinical Trials Network of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health is conducting this study. This blinded, the randomized placebo-controlled study is named as ORCHID (Outcomes related to COVID-19 treated with hydroxychloroquine among In-patients with symptomatic Disease study). It aims at a study population of 500 adults hospitalized for COVID-19 or kept under observation and may need to be hospitalized for the same. Complete clinical care will be provided to all the study participants based on the severity of the disease symptoms. As per randomization, hydroxychloroquine will be given to the patients in the interventional arm.

Study participants will randomly receive 400 mg hydroxychloroquine twice daily for two doses on day 1 then 200 mg twice daily for the following eight doses from days two to five or a placebo twice daily for five days. Though many hospitals in the US are using hydroxychloroquine as first-line therapy for COVID-19 patients, safety and efficacy data is still required, said the investigators of the ORCHID study.