India becomes helping hand; Approves export of 14 million HCQ tablets to 13 countries

New Delhi, April 11: In a bid to support the countries in this battle against the coronavirus pandemic, India has approved the first list of 13 countries that will get the first batch of the highly-demanded anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). India is going to export 14 million tablets of Hydroxychloroquine.

 

 

 

According to reports, the list includes the United States, Spain, Germany, Bahrain, Brazil, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Seychelles, and the Dominican Republic. In total, around 14 million tablets and 13.5 tonnes of API(active pharmaceutical ingredient) will be exported to these countries.

 

India has already sanctioned 35.82 lakh HCQ tablets and nine MT of API for the United States while the Trump administration has asked for 48 lakh tablets of HCQ. Meanwhile, Brazil and Canada are expected to get 50 lakh tablets of HCQ in the second consignment. In the first consignment, Brazil will receive 0.53 tonnes of API.

 

“A lot of requests of HCQ are already there and taking into view the domestic stock and requirement and keeping sufficient buffer, a decision was taken by the Group of Ministers to release some of the surplus medicine for export purposes,” Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said.

 

He informed that there will be two more such consignments of the coveted drug that will be exported to foreign nations.

 

“It is first to come, the first basis, but the neighborhood is very important, countries very vulnerable. So we went through the process of making the assessment, who would need first…it is an ongoing process. Doing it in a balanced and rationalizing demand of various countries.”

 

MEA officials said exports were being cleared for more than a dozen countries in three categories: humanitarian aid, aid to neighboring SAARC countries, and commercial orders to countries such as the U.S. and Brazil, who have pushed the most for the release of HCQ orders for which their companies had made advance payments. Besides, India will also be exporting a total of 430 million tablets of paracetamol.

 

PM Narendra Modi has been personally approached by world leaders for HCQ. Earlier, US President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair M Bolsonaro and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu have personally thanked PM Modi for exporting the game-changer-drug HCQ.

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