Hydroxychloroquine from India Reaches US to Fight against COVID-19

On Saturday, a consignment of hydroxychloroquine, a crucial anti-medication believed to be successful in treating Coronavirus, has arrived from India at Newark airport in the US.

India, at the request of US President Donald Trump, cleared the export of 35,82 lakh hydroxychloroquine tablets to the US along with nine metric tons of active pharmaceutical component or API required in the manufacture of the product.

Earlier this week, the US acquired 29 million doses of Hydroxychloroquine from India.

Hydroxychloroquine has been approved by the national task force of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as prophylaxis – a treatment to prevent disease – for people at “high risk” of contracting COVID-19. However, it is recommended only for a healthcare worker who is treating a COVID-19 patient. Secondly, it is recommended only for persons staying and caring for a household positive patient. They can take that only for ‘prophylaxis’, or prevention.

Meanwhile, US hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the COVID-19 and it is being tested on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

India, the world's largest manufacturer of generic medicines, has obtained approvals for hydroxychloroquine from approximately 30 nations.

Hydroxychloroquine tablet is used to avoid and cure tuberculosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases.