Both remdesivir and chloroquine were found to inhibit SARS-COV-2 in vitro; other compounds tested had activity but some drawbacks

sars-cov-2 virions (complete virus) in EM by NIAID (via Medscape.com)

This letter to Nature Cell Research on February 4, from China, reported on in vitro (literally, in glass, that is, in the test tube) studies of multiple drugs and their effects on different cell cultures.  The authors tested to see whether the drugs would prevent the virus from effectively infecting and transforming (changing) cells in culture.   Here is their concluding sentence:

Our findings reveal that remdesivir and chloroquine are highly effective in the control of 2019-nCoV infection in vitro. Since these compounds have been used in human patients with a safety track record and shown to be effective against various ailments, we suggest that they should be assessed in human patients suffering from the novel coronavirus disease.

The authors reported several other drugs, some of which were highly effective at low concentrations, and others which didn’t seem to work so well.  For your perusal of abstruse research, this is a paper which will lead you in several directions at once.  Just remember that this is not clinical research, it’s laboratory tests– so your mileage may vary.