1. What are Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine?

2. Why did President Trump ask the FDA to examine whether the drugs can be used to treat the coronavirus? - On what study does President Trump base his hope that the anti-malaria drug will be “a game changer?”

3. What did Dr. Anthony Fauci say about the potential effectiveness of the drug to treat people with the coronavirus?

4. a) What needs to be done before the FDA will give approval for the widespread use of these drugs?
b) If the use of the drugs with the patients in NY proves successful in some, do you think the FDA should recommend its widespread use? Explain your answer.

5. The Hill reported on March 27:

New York is moving at breakneck speed to test anti-malarial drugs that have been touted by President Trump as a "game changer" on critically ill coronavirus patients in hopes of finding an effective treatment against the deadly virus.

Such an undertaking “is something that normally would have been done in six to nine months and we’re doing it in three or four days,” a New York state health official told The Washington Post.

According to the state, three drugs will be used: hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine — both antimalarial drugs — and the antibiotic azithromycin. The first group of patients will receive hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, a combination that proved effective in a small study in France.

a) How many people hospitalized in NY due to coronavirus are being treated with these drugs?

b) What do you think about the speed with which the president was able to get the FDA to fast track emergency use of the drugs?

OPTIONAL: Follow news reports on this story to see whether this (and other drugs, including the ones mentioned at the end of the article) are effective in treating / relieving the symptoms of the coronavirus. (There is a lot of great scientific work being done - seek out these stories. We have hope!)