Kolkata, April 10: The West Bengal government on Friday gave approval to Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceuticals Limited (BCPL), the country's first and oldest pharmaceutical company, to manufacture anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQS) to combat coronavirus outbreak. The license was given to BPCL by the West Bengal Directorate of Drugs Control. NIH Launches Clinical Trial of Hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 Treatment in US.

According to a report published in India Today, the company can now produce manufacture hydroxychloroquine tablet IP 200 and 400 mg. The company, reportedly has the capacity to produce 10 lakh tablets every day. BCPL Managing Director PM Chandraiah exuded confidence that the public sector unit (PSU) was capable of manufacturing tablets on a large scale. However, he told the media house, “Now we can manufacture the tablet subject to availability of raw material. But at present, we don't have raw material.” Hydroxychloroquine Not Mandatory For Coronavirus Patients, Can't Recommend For Now: ICMR.

After the outbreak of coronavirus, hydroxychloroquine has become the most sought-after drug. Chinese doctors claimed that it boosted recovery and lowered the severity of the coronavirus disease. US President Donald Trump has termed hydroxychloroquine "game-changer" in the fight against COVID-19. According to the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), India manufactures 70 percent of the world's supply of hydroxychloroquine. What is Hydroxychloroquine? Know All About The Drug That Donald Trump Has Been Speaking About And That Will be Exported by India to Coronavirus-Hit Countries.

India had banned the export of hydroxychloroquine on March 25. However, New Delhi partially eased restrictions on the export of paracetamol and Hydroxychloroquine earlier this month and also agreed to export this drug to the United States and other countries, including Israel.

Hydroxychloroquine is an old and inexpensive drug used to treat malaria. The government in India has allowed the use of hydroxychloroquine for healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19 patients or high-risk contacts of the patients though there is limited evidence of its efficacy.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 10, 2020 08:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).