OREANDA-NEWS. Indian authorities have decided to lift the ban on the export of the drug hydroxychloroquine, which is used to treat malaria and coronavirus infection. This was announced on Thursday by an American news agency.

"The Department of Pharmacological Products has approved the lifting of the ban on the export of active substances of hydroxychloroquine and its pharmaceutical formula", the agency quoted Sadananda Govda, Minister of Chemical Industry and Fertilizer Production of India. He also noted that Indian manufacturers specializing in export and located in special economic zones will still need to supply 20% of the products to the domestic market.

India imposed restrictions on the sale of this medicine in March due to a pandemic, but in April they were partially lifted when Indian companies shipped over 50 million tablets of the drug to the United States. US President Donald Trump has actively advocated for the widespread use of hydroxychloroquine, which is usually prescribed to patients with malaria, as a medicine for COVID-19.