But the NIH is still collaborating with Novartis: NIH has formed a partnership with 16 drug companies to accelerate the development of coronavirus treatments. The partners have committed to standardizing their preclinical evaluations openly to enable comparison and validation. AbbVie, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Evotec, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, KSQ Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda and Vir Biotechnology have agreed to be part of the partnership. Novartis said it will soon begin enrolling patients in a phase 3 clinical trial evaluating hydroxychloroquine in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The large trial will include more than 440 patients across more than a dozen U.S. trial sites. https://www.centerwatch.com/articles/24664-covid-19-update