Solan (Himachal Pradesh): To combat the deadly Covid-19, Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) - a drug used for Malaria- is being considered as a game-changer. The sudden increase in its global demand has led to its mass production especially in Himachal Pradesh- the pharmaceutical hub of Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh (BBN) area- to ensure that both domestic and international requirements are met.
However, the raw material is becoming an obstacle in the production of Hydroxychloroquine drug. This is the reason that its production has not started in about 38 industries set up in the state's largest industrial area. Presently this medicine is being produced in about 10 industries, which have enough raw material.
According to Deputy Drug Controller, Manish Kapoor, the license for drug production of Hydroxychloroquine is available in 50 industries of Himachal Pradesh.
At the same time, there are about 23 such industries in the BBN area of district Solan that make this medicine. The industry has the capacity to prepare 2 lakh to 1 crore tablets daily. In order to increase the production of this drug in India, the Central government had directed the State government to remove all the hurdles faced by Zydus Cadila, Cipla, Torrent Pharma and Dr Reddy Lab.
This is the reason that the district administration has started the process of granting one-time permission to the other pharmaceutical industries.
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About 10 industries have received this permission so far. It is expected that in the coming days, Hydroxychloroquine drug will be produced in large quantities. Himachal produces 40 per cent of the total drug production in the country.
