Over the past few months, scientists have been scrambling to find drugs that could counter the symptoms of COVID-19. In particular, the drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine – both of which are widely available and can be bought with a prescription from a pharmacy – have been touted as a potential "game changer" in the fight against the novel coronavirus, including by U.S. President Donald Trump. However, is this medicine really effective in treating COVID-19 patients? Chinese experts from the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, who served on the front line of the fight against COVID-19, said it showed less effectiveness.