India, the world’s main supplier of generic drugs, said on Tuesday it
will allow limited exports of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine
that U.S. President Donald Trump has touted as a potential weapon in the
fight against the coronavirus.
The Indian government had put a hold on exports of hydroxychloroquine
as well as on the pain reliever, paracetamol, saying stocks were
depleting because of the hit to global supply chains after the
coronavirus emerged in China late last year.
But Trump spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the weekend
seeking supplies and on Monday said India may face retaliation if it
didn’t withdraw the ban on exports.
India’s neighbours, including Nepal, have also sought the anti-malaria drug.
“It has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and HCQ in
appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are
dependent on our capabilities,” said Indian foreign ministry spokesman
Anurag Srivastava.
“We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations who
have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic,” he said.
Use of hydroxychloroquine has soared as the United States has quickly
become the epicentre of the pandemic, though doctors prescribing it
have no idea whether it works.
U.S. fatalities from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the
virus, hit 10,902 on Monday, rapidly closing in on Italy and Spain, the
countries with the greatest loss of life to date, according to a Reuters
tally of official data.
In addition, the Indian government said it was lifting curbs on the
export of 24 pharmaceutical ingredients and medicines made from them
that includes several antibiotics, such as tinidazole and erythromycin,
the hormone progesterone and Vitamin B12.
“After having confirmed the availability of medicines for all
possible contingencies currently envisaged, these restrictions have been
largely lifted, “ foreign ministry spokesman Srivastava said.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-india-drugs/india-allows-limited-exports-of-anti-malaria-drug-after-trump-warns-of-retaliation-idUSKBN21O34B
