Govt lifts export ban on hydroxychloroquine

The government on Thursday lifted the export ban on anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine with immediate effect.

The government on March 25 had banned the export of the drug, which was touted as a promising medicine in the treatment of COVID-19 pandemic. “The export policy of Hydroxychloroquine API (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and its formulations from prohibited to free with immediate effect,” the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification. 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 ZydusCadila 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.

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