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State receives donation of malaria drug Trump has supported as COVID-19 treatment
Hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine pills are pictured April 6, 2020, in Las Vegas. Rep. Doug Collins reported April 7 that Georgia has secured a donation of 200,000 doses that could be used in the future to help patients with COVID-19. The drug has not yet been approved by the FDA for fighting the new coronavirus. - photo by Associated Press

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Some 200,000 doses of hydroxychloroquine sulfate are coming to the Georgia Department of Public Health for potential use in treating hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

The drug is currently used to treat malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Some studies have suggested it could help prevent the novel coronavirus from entering cells and possibly help patients clear the virus sooner. 

President Donald Trump has expressed his support for it as a possible treatment option. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the drug in some patients, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. 

The medicine was donated by Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc., a U.S.-based generic pharmaceutical manufacturer.

“This medication could be pivotal in Georgia’s fight against COVID-19 and could potentially save thousands of lives across our state,” U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Gainesville, said in a statement. “Acts of generosity like this remind us of the remarkable ways in which our country has rallied together to support one another in the face of this crisis, and I’m humbled to have worked with Amneal and Georgia’s Department of Public Health to help secure this donation on behalf of our state.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.