India has lifted export ban on hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug touted by U.S. President Donald Trump as a potential “game changer” in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Also read: Coronavirus | Hydroxychloroquine clinical trials will resume, says WHO“Department of Pharmaceuticals has approved the lifting of ban on Export of Hydroxychloroquine API as well as formulations,” Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers Sadananda Gowda has tweeted. Leading exporterThe country, a leading exporter of generic medicines across the world, banned the export of the drug and its formulations in March as the coronavirus outbreak disrupted supply chains. But India eased some of these restrictions in April and shipped 50 million tablets of the drug to the United States that month, Reuters reported. British scientists last week halted a major trial after it found that the drug was “useless” at treating COVID-19 patients.

Source: The Hindu June 11, 2020 16:52 UTC