Covid-19: India clears first list of HCQ requests; US to get 3.5 mn tablets

The government on Friday said that there was enough stock of HCQ in the country and it was taking all steps to ensure that there was no shortage of the drug in the domestic market.

Laboratory technicians, seen behind a blue-tinted window, work on testing patient samples for the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, at the Pathologists Lancet Kenya laboratory in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo: PTI
Premium

Hydroxychloroquine has been on demand ever since it was named as a possible treatment for Covid-19.

BS Web TeamAgencies
India has shipped the first list of hydroxychloroquine drug to 13 countries — the US, Spain, Germany, Bahrain, Brazil, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives and Bangladesh — according to sources. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), best known for treating malaria and lupus erythematosus, is in great demand globally these days as it is believed to be a possible treatment for Covid-19, though it has yet to be proved through scientific evidence.  

Which country gets how much

According to sources, the US had asked for 4.8 million HCQ tablets, of which India has sanctioned 3.58 million tablets. News agency PTI quoted sources as saying that India had also sent 9 million tonnes

First Published: Apr 11 2020 | 1:50 PM IST

Explore News

To read the full story, subscribe to BS Premium now, at just Rs 249/ month.

Key stories on business-standard.com are available only to BS Premium subscribers.

Register to read more on Business-Standard.com