New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs said Thursday that the government was facilitating collaboration between Indian and foreign agencies in research and development towards potential Covid-19 treatments, including remdesivir and PLX cells.
Remdesivir is an experimental drug that failed to cure Ebola but is now being touted as the “best shot” against coronavirus, while PLX (PLacental eXpanded) cells are derived from human placenta and have reportedly shown promise in treating a critical Covid-19 patient.
“We are… facilitating collaboration between Indian and foreign agencies in research & development efforts, such as on remdesivir, PLX cells etc, related to Covid-19,” MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing as he sought to elaborate on steps taken by the Modi government to fight Covid-19.
India, he added, has started receiving some test kits, personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks from other countries, saying more supplies are expected in the coming weeks.
“Around 20 more flights are expected to bring supplies from China in the coming days, and this is likely to be stepped up considerably in the next few months as our procurement efforts gain momentum,” he said.
“In the past two weeks, around two dozen flights departed for India from five cities in China carrying nearly 400 tonnes of medical supplies, including RT-PCR test kits, rapid antibody tests, PPE kits, thermometers,” he added.
Six “SUV-sized” high-speed testing machines that are in “high demand” are being sourced from Roche in the US, he said.
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‘Cutting-edge work’
The Ministry of External Affairs, he said, has been playing a key role in the empowered group formed by the government to deal with the availability of essential medical equipment and supplies.
Dwelling on Indian efforts with respect to developing potential treatments for coronavirus, Srivastava said domestic R&D labs were collaborating with their counterparts in Israel and Germany, “which are undertaking cutting-edge work.”.
An Indian subsidiary of a South Korean firm, he said, has commenced the production of Covid-19 rapid antibody test kits at its Manesar plant in Haryana. The plant, he added, has a capacity to roll out 5 lakh tests per week.
“The first batch has already been rolled out on 19 April. This is an excellent example of our ‘Make in India’ for the world. The (subsidiary) company will ramp up production to meet the growing demand in India as well as other parts of the world,” the spokesperson said.
‘No cancellation of HCQ orders’
Srivastava said India’s exports of hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug that is also being explored as a cure for Covid-19, as well as paracetamol (PCM), continue to be in high demand.
So far, he said, India has offered 5 million hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and 1.32 million paracetamol tablets as part of humanitarian aid to countries in the neighbourhood and the Indian Ocean Region, Africa, Latin America, central Asia, Eurasia and north African regions, apart from other medical aid.
These medicines, Srivastava added, have also been sold to some countries.
“We have given clearance to commercial consignments of around 285 million HCQ tablets to 40 countries. Commercial consignments of around 500 million PCM tablets for 60 countries have also been cleared,” said Srivastava.
Sources added that the absence of conclusive research about the efficacy of HCQ had not affected exports.
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