On May 14, 2020, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) announced that a clinical trial was begun to evaluate whether the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, given together with the antibiotic azithromycin, can prevent hospitalization and death from coronavirus disease 2019.

NIAID sponsored the trial, which was conducted by the NIAID-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Teva Pharmaceuticals donated medications for the study.