India puts brakes on hydroxycholoroquine drugs exports to US
By IAR Desk
India has banned all exports of hydroxychloroquine, a malaria drug that President Donald Trump has touted as a “game changer” in the fight against Covid-19, on Saturday.
A report by Bloomberg on Sunday, 5 April, quoted an order by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade which has banned the export of hydroxychloroquine and all its formulations “without any exceptions” and with immediate effect,
In a press conference on Saturday, 4 April US President Donald Trump referred to his telephone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he had appealed for the release of shipments US has already ordered. India is giving his request “serious consideration,” he said.
The two leaders had exchanged views in a telephone conversation over the pandemic Covid-19 on Saturday, 4 April.
A hand out from India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Trump said “Stressing the special relationship between the two countries, the Prime Minister reiterated India’s solidarity with the USA in overcoming this global crisis together. The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India – US partnership to resolutely and effectively combat COVID-19.”
The Prime Minister and the US President exchanged notes on the respective steps taken in each country for mitigating the health and economic impacts of the pandemic and both leaders also touched upon “the significance of practices such as Yoga and Ayurveda (traditional Indian herbal medicine practice) for ensuring physical and mental well-being in these difficult times.” the release said.
There was no reference to exports of the hydroxychloroquine in the release by the ministry.’
The report by Bloomberg noted that there was no conclusive scientific evidence that hydroxychloroquine can treat the infection from the novel pathogen, but the ban reflected India’s rising concern over the rapid spread of the coronavirus, with risks of community spread rising in the country of 1.3 billion people.
India has recorded 3,219 positive cases so far and has lost 83 lives, according to the country’s health ministry. Since March 26 the country has been on a nation wide lockdown for three weeks, leading to mass migration of people from the cities to their native villages, sparking outrage and anguish across the country.
(With inputs from Bloomberg)
