The government on Tuesday removed restrictions on exports of 13 Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and their formulations amid mounting pressure from countries like USA.
In the beginning of March, India had imposed restrictions on the exports of 13 APIs and their formulations, amid growing concerns of ensuring enough supply of these drugs in the domestic market. Upon easing of supplies from China, the ban has now been lifted.
These included common medicines like paracetamol, vitamins, anti-virals, hormones, and common antibiotics like tinidazole, metronidazole, etc. Since exporting these items demanded government approval, there were barely any export in March, as obtaining a No Objection Certificate would take 30-45 days.
India had previously imposed a ban on export of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) after the drug emerged into the spotlight for its healing properties in treating COVID-19 .
Following this, towards the end of March, the Centre had approved of exports on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients on a limited basis based on humanitarian grounds.
