Sanford Health and Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday announced a comprehensive clinical trial looking at whether an antimalarial drug is effective in treating COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.

The study will include patients with COVID-19 and people who have been exposed to the virus. The drug, hydroxychloroquine, is one of the therapeutics under investigation in clinical trials for treatment of people with COVID-19, according to a news release from Sanford.

Noem and Sanford officials noted that South Dakota is going "on offense" against COVID-19 with the clinical trial.

"We are going to be the first state in the nation to run a statewide clinical trial on hydroxychloroquine," Noem said, adding that she's proud to see Sanford leading national research efforts.

South Dakota had 868 positive COVID-19 cases as of Monday, of which 654 cases are in Minnehaha County, according to the South Dakota Department of Health.

Doctors are faced with treating a new disease that doesn't have any treatment options right now, and it takes research and data to find a successful treatment, said Dr. Allison Suttle, Sanford's chief medical officer. The virus is going to exist for a while, and Sanford is hoping with the trial to determine a treatment that works, she said.

"As a physician, I want to know that what I'm prescribing is going to make a difference for that patient," she said.

Sanford Health, Avera Health and Monument Health are on board with the clinical trial. They're in discussions with Indian Health Services and the Veterans Affairs to include patients at those facilities in the clinical trial as well, Suttle said.

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The clinical trial will include two parts, according to Suttle. The first part will include patients who have COVID-19, and everyone in South Dakota who has the virus can be considered for the clinical trial.

The second part is a randomized sample of 2,000 South Dakotans, including healthcare workers and people at high risk, who have been exposed to COVID-19. They are attempting to learn whether hydroxychloroquine can prevent the virus from entering a person's cells and prevent the body's inflammatory response to COVID-19, she said.

Suttle said the clinical trial can last five years, but they'll start seeing short-term results as patients enroll in it.

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Hundreds of clinical trials related to COVID-19 or hydroxychloroquine are underway around the world. The New York Times reported that a study of chloroquine on 81 COVID-19 patients in Brazil was halted on Sunday due to the potential to cause fatal irregular heart rhythms.

Noem said she was in discussions with the White House and the COVID-19 task force about having all health systems in the state on board with the clinical trial to complete the first-ever statewide trial. The state is funding the clinical trial, but the exact cost isn't known yet and the state could use the federal funds the state received for the coronavirus response, Noem said.

South Dakota is a good fit for the clinical trial because of its smaller population compared to other states, the success of its mitigation efforts and the state's health system research ability, Noem said.

South Dakota received the first doses of hydroxychloroquine for the clinical trial this past weekend, and the state has enough doses for up to 100,000 people to receive it, Noem said.

Suttle said the clinical trial won't affect the availability of hydroxychloroquine for patients who need it for other medical reasons.