Pharma companies increase 'HCQ' production to meet demand

Assuring that the country has adequate supply of the anti-malaria tablets 'Hydroxychloroquine' for both domestic and export demand along with other key medicines, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) on Sunday said that pharma companies are ramping up production of the key medicines to meet demand.

In a statement, the industry body applauded the government's decision to remove restrictions on the export of the pharma products and said that it is in line with the India's image as the "pharmacy of the world".

"The decision to withdraw restrictions on 12 products and export Hydroxychloroquine is a reflection of India's commitment to supply medicines at this critical time. IPA lauds Government of Indiaa¿s positive move and is in line with image of India as the pharmacy of the world," it said.

"We have adequate manufacturing capacity, today, in the country and have sufficient supply to meet both domestic and export demand. Zydus Cadila and IPCA are the major manufacturers of hydroxychloroquine in the country. The companies are ramping up production to ensure an uninterrupted supply for domestic and export market," it added.

On March 25, India had banned the export of Hydroxychloroquine. However, on April 6, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) notified lifting of restrictions on 14 drugs, including Hydroxychloroquine.

The IPA said that as India and the world are confronted with an unprecedented global health threat in the form of COVID-19, the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) and its member companies are working in an integrated manner with the Centre to ensure that patients in India and across the world continue to have access to quality medicines.

It also said that as Indian is a major exporter of pharma products to over 200 countries, Indian government's position of international solidarity and cooperation is vital to deal with the COVID situation.

The pharma body also said that it is committed to providing quality medicines to patients in India and globally, particularly to those countries that are severely affected by the pandemic.

According to data published from the health ministry on Sunday, the total number of confirmed cases of novel coronavirus in India climbed to 8,356, with 909 fresh cases and 34 new deaths in the last 24 hours.

Of the total cases in the country, there are 7,367 active cases of COVID-19, 715 individuals have recovered and discharged from the hospital, one person migrated to another country and 273 people succumbed to the disease