The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19 varies.

Although there is no FDA-approved treatment for COVID-19, hydroxychloroquine was given to some patients who were hospitalized with the virus. The researchers discovered that hydroxychloroquine significantly shortened body temperature recovery time and cough remission time, as well as improved pneumonia, in a small study of 62 patients at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University in China.

Based on early promising results, the FDA granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for hydroxychloroquine's use in certain COVID-19 patients who are not eligible for a clinical trial. However, the beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 recovery was not uniform. This fact, combined with the possibility of serious side effects, prompted the FDA to withdraw the EUA for hydroxychloroquine.

Patients with COVID-19 should not receive hydroxychloroquine treatment unless they are enrolled in a clinical trial for the drug.