JACKSON, MS (Ben Caxton) — Doctors and researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center will conduct clinical trials on potential treatment options for people infected with coronavirus. The trials are in partnership with other institutions, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes for Health. UMMC is one of 44 sites to test hydroxychloroquine, a drug that modulates the immune system and has been used to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. President Trump has promoted using the drug to fight COVID-19 but the drug has potential side effects, especially for the heart. The FDA says people should not take it without a prescription and emphasizes that the malaria drugs being explored are not FDA-approved for treatment of COVID-19.
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