PFE - Is Hydroxychloroquine a Cure for COVID-19?
As COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, spread throughout the world, researchers have been testing both old and new treatments in attempts to find a cure. One that has drawn particular attention is hydroxychloroquine, a common malaria drug.
Image source: Getty Images.
Hydroxychloroquine, a safer derivative of chloroquine, is an anti-parasitic and disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug approved for malaria, lupus, and arthritis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved hydroxychloroquine, sold under the brand name Plaquenil, in 1955. These days, Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY) sells Plaquenil, and dozens of companies, including Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Mylan (NASDAQ: MYL), sell hydroxychloroquine under different brand names.