Timely damage control

The ministry of commerce has taken back its earlier decision of allowing export of all anti-malaria drugs and imposed a ban on the export of theses medicines to keep sufficient stock for possible use in the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

The ban will remain in place until further decision of the National Coordination Committee (NCC), says Statutory Revenue Order (SRO) of 2020 issued by the ministry of commerce.

The demand for chloroquine phosphate and Hydroxy chloroquine Sulphate rose, when President Trump claimed that US Drug and Food Administration had approved the use of these medicines for the treatment of Covid-19. The optimization trials of the medicines shall be made because like Malaria no optimal dose for the treatment of coronavirus infection has been recommended by the World Health Organisation.

Lifting of ban on anti-malaria drugs was quite flabbergasting for the medical fraternity and Biochemistry experts. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Healthcare, Dr. Zafar Mirza said the other day that Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has approved local production of raw material for chloroquine.

It merits mention that National Health Policy, which had been approved in 1960s, had made setting up of raw material production plants mandatory for the multinational pharmaceutical firms that wanted manufacturing facilities of medicines in Pakistan. But the country remains dependent on the import of raw material for manufacturing pharmaceutical products.