This Article is From May 02, 2020

Centre Orders 11.45 Crore Anti-Malaria Drug With 2 Indian Firms

HCQ is an anti-malarial drug and has only been recommended as prophylaxis of COVID-19 as per the national taskforce for COVID-19.

Centre Orders 11.45 Crore Anti-Malaria Drug With 2 Indian Firms

Some states have purchased about 3.8 crore HCQ tablets from the manufactures directly. (File)

New Delhi:

India has placed urgent orders for at least 11.45 crore tablets of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). This drug is being directly procured by HLL Lifecare, on behalf of the Union Health Ministry.

Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL) Lifecare is a government-owned healthcare manufacturing company.

HCQ is an anti-malarial drug and has only been recommended as prophylaxis of COVID-19 as per the national taskforce for COVID-19. It is not a cure but this protocol has been recommended by the national task force for mostly frontline health care workers and has been approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for restricted use in an emergency situation.

A senior official at the health ministry told ANI, "For HCQ, we have placed orders for about 11.45 crore tablets to two Indian firms--IPCA laboratories and Zydus Cadila. So far, we have received 6.64 crore HCQ drugs and remaining will arrive by May 16."

As per revised guidelines on clinical management of COVID-19, the HCQ tablets are only for restricted and prophylaxis use of COVID-19 in selected eligible persons, the official said.

"Its selected eligible individuals include: (i) asymptomatic healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 patients, (ii) asymptomatic household contacts of laboratory-confirmed cases, (iii) COVID-19 patients with severe disease requiring ICU management," he said and added that these drugs should be administrated under the close medical supervision with monitoring for side effects.

This medication is not recommended for children below 12 years, lactating and pregnant mothers. The drug is contraindicated in persons with known cases of retinopathy, known hypersensitivity to HCQ, added the official.

According to the official, "out of 6.64 crore HCQ drugs, the Centre has distributed at least 4.3 crore HCQ tablets to the states and remaining is kept in the Centre-State buffer stock."

Some states have purchased about 3.8 crore HCQ tablets from the manufactures directly.

"Hence, over 10.44 crore HCQ tablets have been available to the states till date," the official said.

If anyone becomes symptomatic while on prophylaxis he/she should immediately contact the health facility, get tested as per national guidelines, and follow the standard treatment protocol, according to government guidelines. The individual is advised to consult with a physician for any adverse event or potential drug interaction before initiation of medication.

These guidelines are based on currently available information and would be reviewed from time to time as new evidence emerges.

Apart from domestic use, India has also exported close to 3 million of HCQ tablets to 87 countries, garnering praise from heads of state of various nations.

On Friday, the Central government had informed that the production of HCQ has increased to 30 crore tablets in April from an earlier production capacity of 12.33 crore tablets. A total of 16 crore tablets has been released into the market.

World

67,69,38,430Cases
62,55,71,965Active
4,44,81,893Recovered
68,84,572Deaths
Coronavirus has spread to 200 countries. The total confirmed cases worldwide are 67,69,38,430 and 68,84,572 have died; 62,55,71,965 are active cases and 4,44,81,893 have recovered as on January 9, 2024 at 10:54 am.

India

4,50,19,214 475Cases
3,919 -83Active
4,44,81,893 552Recovered
5,33,402 6Deaths
In India, there are 4,50,19,214 confirmed cases including 5,33,402 deaths. The number of active cases is 3,919 and 4,44,81,893 have recovered as on January 9, 2024 at 8:00 am.

State & District Details

State Cases Active Recovered Deaths
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