7th April, 2020
India said on Tuesday that its stocks of the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) were enough to meet the export commitments.
After the U.S regulator approved limited use of malaria drugs for the virus, private companies had been contracted in a bid to help countries badly affected by novel coronavirus pandemic.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesman, Anurag Srivastava said; “With regard to paracetamol and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), they will be kept in a licensed category and their demand position would be continuously monitored,’’
“However, the stock position could allow our companies to meet the export commitments that they had contracted.’’
“We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations, who have been particularly badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We would, therefore, discourage any speculation in this regard or any attempts to politicise the matter,’’ the spokesman added.
The development came after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened India of “retaliation” if it did not supply HCQ to the United States, which is badly affected by the pandemic with over 10,910 deaths and 367,461 positive cases reported so far.