Govt bans export of anti-malarial drug hydroxycloroquine

Government banned export of anti-malarial drug hydroxycloroquine and formulations made from it in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.

Government banned export of anti-malarial drug hydroxycloroquine and formulations made from it in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak.
It is aimed at ensuring sufficient availability of the medicine in the domestic market. However, export of the medicine will be allowed on humanitarian grounds on case-to-case basis as per the recommendation of Ministry of External Affairs.
Earlier, Indian Council of Medical Research had recommended the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating healthcare workers handling suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases and also the asymptomatic household contacts of the lab-confirmed cases.
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), sold under the brand name Plaquenil among others, is a medication used for the prevention and treatment of certain types of malaria. Specifically it is used for chloroquine-sensitive malaria.
Other uses include treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and porphyria cutanea tarda.