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Health Secretary Seeks Ban On Export Of Anti-TB Medicines
Union health secretary Preeti Sudan has sought a ban on the export of anti-tuberculosis (TB) medicines amid concerns that the covid-19-led lockdown has hit production of the drug.
Sudan also urged an empowered group of government officials to direct the department of pharmaceuticals and commerce ministry to ban the export of such drugs.
“Dept. of pharmaceuticals… and dept. of commerce (should be directed) for their intervention in this regard and also issue necessary direction for prohibiting export of anti-TB medicines while considering mandatorily the need of the country as overriding priority to ensure smooth supply of anti-TB drugs…,” Sudan said in a letter to Parameswaran Iyer, secretary, department of drinking water and sanitation.
Iyer is also the chairman of the empowered group for facilitating supply chain and logistics management. The letter was also sent to pharma secretary P.D. Vaghela and commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan, besides chemicals and petrochemicals secretary P. Raghavendra Rao.
Mint has seen a copy of the letter.
In India, leading anti-TB drug makers include Macleods Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Lupin Ltd, who also supply to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.
Sudan also asked the chief secretaries of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Daman, where manufacturing facilities of these anti-TB drugs are located, to ensure supply of these critical medicines.-Livemint
