St Louis: Washington University School of Medicine announced on Thursday that it is launching a clinical trial to investigate the controversial drug chloroquine, among others, to treat the new coronavirus.

The trial will look at different combinations of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin. Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been used to treat malaria and some inflammatory conditions, but have not been proven as treatment for COVID-19.

President Donald Trump recommended hydroxychloroquine to treat the new coronavirus, causing an uproar last month among health officials across the world, who warned that drugs were unproven in this application.

Dr Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, cautioned that the evidence in favour of the drugs has been anecdotal so far.