Laboratory evidence shows that these well-established drugs might be effective in preventing or treating COVID-19 but there is no conclusive proof. Despite the lack of strong evidence these drugs are being widely recommended, and they are being widely used in some countries– so finding out if they can protect against COVID-19 - yes or no - is of tremendous importance.
The COPCOV study is a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial that will enrol 40,000+ frontline healthcare workers and staff from Europe, Africa, Asia and South America who have close contact with patients with COVID-19 to determine definitively if chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are effective in preventing COVID-19.
It is led by the University of Oxford and Wellcome-supported Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU) in Bangkok, Thailand. The UK sites for the study are being managed by the the Diabetes Trials Unit, which is part of the Radcliffe Department of Medicine at Oxford University.
Enrolment of the first UK participants in COPCOV is beginning today at the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals and at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
The story is also featured on the University of Oxford website