West Bengal to procure 3 million tablets to tackle corona

TNN | Apr 8, 2020, 06:11 IST

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KOLKATA: The state government is going to procure 3 million hydroxychloroquine tablets and has already placed orders for it, a senior Nabanna official said on Monday. “We are expecting the supply in phases before the lockdown period is over,” the official said.
The health official said Bengal had already purchased 4.5 lakh hydroxychloroquine tablets, part of which was distributed in various malaria clinics in Kolkata and the districts. A fresh stock-taking exercise is being conducted on unused hydroxychloroquine tablets. “We have sufficient stock for now,” said the official.
Sukumar Mukherjee, who heads the expert committee on Covid-19, said hydroxychloroquine, which is considered as a prophylactic for front-line medical staffers and preliminary responders, can also be used to treat patients. Mukherjee indicated these can also be used to treat suspected Covid-19 cases who have been quarantined.
An official said they had already contacted Kolkata-based PSU Bengal Chemicals for the drug. “They informed that it was not within their capacity to supply the entire amount due to lack of raw materials,” the officer claimed. “Meetings have also been held with Wallace Pharma and IPCA Laboratories but they said they had problems in bulk production due to the lockdown,” he added.
According to Raju Khandelwal of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, the health ministry has recently made the drug a Schedule H1 category drug, which means it cannot be sold over the counter without prescription, to stop hoarding. Moreover, Khandelwal said the cost of raw material that is sourced from China had more than doubled, for which there is a shortage.
ICMR has recommended the drug for healthcare workers involved in treatment of suspected or active Covid-19 patients, a health official said. According to reports, there is a rush among people to buy the drug, which is mainly used in malaria and in some cases of rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune disease, doctors said.
Santanu Sen, Trinamool MP and former Indian Medical Association president, wants the drug to be only be used by health workers and suspected cases of Covid-19. “There is a specific dose of the drug for health workers who are being directly exposed to the virus. For them, it is to be continued for seven weeks. For those who are in indirect contact, it is to be taken for three weeks,” he said.