This archive report was first published on 19 June 2020.
On June 18, 2020, India fully lifted its export ban on hydroxychloroquine, a drug used to treat malaria and other conditions, as the country's Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced that the medicine and its formulations were now 'free' to be exported.
India, which accounts for 70 percent of global production of hydroxychloroquine, had banned exports of the drug in late March citing domestic needs. However, it partially lifted the prohibition in early April after US President Donald Trump hinted at 'retaliation', allowing for licensing for export of the drug to countries in need.
India's top biomedical research body has backed the use of the anti-malarial hydroxychloroquine as a preventive against coronavirus, but the World Health Organisation has announced that it could be ruled out as treatment for hospitalised patients.
