India lifts partial ban on Hydroxychloroquine after Donald Trump warns of ‘retaliation’ if PM Modi doesn’t help the US

• India decided to lift a partial ban on Hydroxychloroquine – the drug used in the cure of Covid-19.
• During an official call US President Donald Trump had placed the request for the drug.
• The coronavirus cases in the US is the highest in the world, with over 367,600 cases of infections and over 10,940 deaths.

India has decided to lift a partial ban on Hydroxychloroquine – a drug used in the possible cure of Covid-19. The move comes after US President Donald Trump requested India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the supply of the drug.

According to IANS, the government will clear the existing orders immediately on humanitarian grounds. The Centre, sources told IANS, will not ban but restrict the export of hydroxychloroquine and paracetamol depending on the availability of stock after meeting domestic requirements.

Earlier on April 4, during an official call US President Donald Trump had placed the request for the drug.


India is a net exporter of many generic drugs and most of them land in the US. In fact, Indian companies are the top suppliers of low-margin generics in the country whereas most top US manufacturers like Pfizer prefer to sell the drugs that they discover and hold patents to.

During a press briefing in the US, Trump had said, “I called Prime Minister Modi of India this morning. They make large amounts of hydroxychloroquine — very large amounts, frankly. And I said — they had a hold, because, you know, they have 1.5. billion people, and they think a lot of it. And I said I’d appreciate it if they would release the amounts that we ordered. And they are giving it serious consideration. But they do make — India makes a lot of it.”

However, Trump had also later hinted at a retaliation and said that he would be ‘surprised if India does not allow the export of Hydroxychloroquine’. "I would be surprised if he does (ban its export to the US), because, you know, India does very well with the US," he said on Monday at the COVID-19 Task Force briefing at the White House.

The coronavirus cases in the US is the highest in the world, with over 367,600 cases of infections and over 10,940 deaths. The country is also banking on the use of Hydroxychloroquine to cure Covid-19. After an alarming number of rising cases, the US had ordered 29 million doses.

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