New Delhi: Amid coronavirus COVID-19 spread, India has cleared the first list of 13 countries who will get anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), with neighbourhood getting the priority. Overall India will be giving hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol to 25 countries and India has given approval for export of 14 million tablets of hydroxychloroquine.
The 13 countries to whom India will be giving HCQ, termed as game-changer drug, are--US, Spain, Germany, Dominican Republic, Brazil, Bahrain, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bangladesh.
Speaking at the daily press briefing, Ministry of External Affairs' (MEA) nodal person for COVID-19 Dammu Ravi said, "HCQ is in high demand globally. Lot of request for HCQ already there, several countries have made the request, taking in the view domestic requirements, domestic stock availability.. the decision was taken by a group of the minister to release surplus medicine for export purposes. The first list of countries have been approved and products have started to leave, working on the second list and then the third list."
India is providing humanitarian aid like Pharma (HCQ & paracetamol) to SAARC, Mauritius and Seychelles along with Africa and Latin America. Outside these regions, New Delhi is currently processing requests for medicines (HCQ/Paracetamol) from countries based on availability and would be supplying them on a commercial basis.
Asked about the criteria India is following for countries, Dammu Revi said, "Request for countries existed, for HCQ, we analysed the request. Sometimes demand can be very high, we need to rationalise. This drug is under high demand and all countries impacted by COVID are asking for it. So it was internal discuss and in consultation with pharma dept, health and various others in the empowered committee."
Explaining, "It is first-come, first-serve basis, but the neighbourhood is very important, countries very vulnerable. So 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."
While HCQ remains on the banned list of export products, India is giving the drug only on licence both for export and aid. India needs one crore HCQ tablets, and currently has 3.28 crore tablets and one to two crore tablets can be produced. Authorities have allowed the use of HCQ for front line workers only and under the prescription of a medical physician.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been personally approached by world leaders for HCQ. On Friday, PM Modi spoke to Japan PM Shinzo Abe and Nepali PM KP Sharma Oli. Three world leaders, US President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Jair M Bolsonaro and Israeli's PM Benjamin Netanyahu have personally thanked PM Modi and Indians on micro-blogging site, Twitter.
