https://www.livemint.com/news/india/india-plays-us-friend-in-need-allows-hydroxychloroquine-export-to-fight-covid-11586190172767.html

India plays US' friend in need, allows hydroxychloroquine export to fight covid

NEW DELHI: Paying heed to US President Donald Trump’s call, India on Monday decided to allow export of hydroxychloroquine -- a drug seen as key in the treatment of the covid-19 pandemic -- on a “case by case" basis. It also allowed the export of paracetamol, a popular antipyretic, as well as some more drugs.

The decision follows a telephone conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. Besides the US, a number of other countries also have approached India to export hydroxychloroquine. Nearly half of US's supply of the drug, which as such is prescribed against malaria, comes from India.

Two government officials familiar with the matter said that the Committee of Secretaries headed by Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba gave its green signal to the lifting of the ban – albeit with certain conditions attached. These were domestic availability and sufficient stocks of the drugs for people at home, the situation in the covid-19-affected country and India’s ties with countries to which the drugs will be exported to, one of two officials cited above said.

The second official said that this decision had received the “all clear" and could be implemented soon.

The export of some other drugs, restricted by India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) last month, had also been cleared, the official said.

DGFT had last month tightened controls over the exports of 13 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), including paracetamol, certain vitamins and antibiotics, and formulations made by them as the covid-19 epidemic in China was seen affecting their supply. This meant that companies planning to export these products would have had to secure a no-objection certificate from the government.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4500286&forum_id=2#39953524)