Published 15:49 IST, April 8th 2020
COVID-19: Donald Trump says major chunk of hydroxychloroquine doses came from India
US President Donald Trump revealed that a major chunk of 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, bought by America has come from India.
US President Donald Trump revealed that a sizeable chunk of 29 million doses of hydroxychloroquine bought by the United States has come from India. Speaking to Fox News, Trump acknowledged that India had blocked the export of the vital drug to take stock of its domestic requirement.
After India agreed to lift the ban on the export of hydroxychloroquine to the US, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said that three companies from his state would export these tablets. India has reportedly also received such requests from neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal and currently reviewing the requests.
On April 4, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Trump where the leaders exchanged their views on the COVID-19 pandemic. The two leaders agreed to deploy the full strength of the India-US partnership to effectively combat COVID-19 and exchanged notes on the respective steps taken in each country.
'Game-changer'
However, Trump indicating a possible retaliation on India’s export ban during a press briefing triggered controversy but the US President later said PM Modi was “really good” when he asked if India would release the drug. Hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug, has emerged as an important drug and the US President considers it a vital therapeutic solution. Trump had called it the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, an anti-biotic, as “game-changer”.
The United States has become one of the major hotspots of the COVID-19 outbreak and according to the latest report, over 400,000 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the US with around 12,857 deaths.
(Image Credit: AP)
Updated 15:39 IST, April 8th 2020