A major British trial of hydroxychloroquine has found it has “no benefit” for patients hospitalised with Covid-19, researchers said, announcing they had halted tests of the drug, AFP reported.

“We have concluded that there is no beneficial effect of hydroxychloroquine in patients hospitalised with Covid-19,” said a statement from the chief investigators in the randomised clinical trial, which is run by the University of Oxford and is testing a number of potential treatments for the new coronavirus.

They added they would stop recruiting patients to the hydroxychloroquine part of the trial “with immediate effect”.