COVID-19 Battle: Govt removes export ban on anti-malarial drug HCQ

India supplied paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine to over 120 countries in the last two months while ensuring the domestic supply, as these two medicines are in huge demand due to COVID-19.

While paracetamol is a pain reliever, hydroxychloroquine is an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria. India is the largest producer and exporter of the drug globally.

India manufactures 70 per cent of the world''s supply of hydroxychloroquine. Companies like Zydus Cadila and IPCA are the major manufacturers in the country, according to the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA).

In the US market, India accounted for about 47 per cent supply of hydroxychloroquine in 2019, according to Professor at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) Rakesh Mohan Joshi.

In April, Indian Drug Manufacturers'' Association (IDMA) Executive Director Ashok Kumar Madan had stated that India has an annual installed capacity of around 40 tonnes of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) of hydroxychloroquine.

India exported hydroxychloroquine API worth USD 1.22 billion in April-January 2019-20. During the same period exports of formulations made from hydroxycholoroquine were at USD 5.50 billion. 

PDF Link: USFDA ends emergency use of hydroxychloroquine to treat Covid-19