some people think hydroxychloroquine, a medicine given to people with malaria, lupus, and arthritis, could work against covid-19 and some do not. one study from china showed that covid-19 patients who took hydroxychloroquine got better faster, but the study was not peer reviewed. other studies in france and china seemed to show hydroxychloroquine helped, but the studies did not include control groups, meaning the doctors did not compare patients who took hydroxychloroquine to patients who did not, so they could not be sure it was the hydroxychloroquine that was helping them or whether it was something else. in march, the united states food and drug administration gave doctors permission to give hydroxychloroquine to covid-19 patients.