Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan said on March 29 that his company's hydroxychloroquine drug for malaria, lupus and arthritis is their biggest hope for tackling the coronavirus.
"Pre-clinical studies in animals as well as the first data from clinical studies show that hydroxychloroquine kills the coronavirus," Mr. Narasimhan said in an interview with Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung.
Novartis is developing treatment protocols for clinical use of HCQ but Mr. Narasimhan said it's premature to definitely stand by the findings.
The company is donating 130 million doses of the drug and supporting clinical trials before the FDA approves HCQ to treat COVID-19.
Novartis is also studying three of its drugs for their effect on complications related to COVID-19.