India Allows Exports of Anti-Malaria Drug After Trump Warning
The world’s main supplier of generic drugs India, said 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.
Donald 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.
We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic,
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.
