The Bangladesh mission in New Delhi has requested the government to keep watch on the situation as import of some medicines including hydroxychloroquine and its API from India has increased significantly following the rapid spread of Covid-19, officials said.
It has also suggested re-evaluating the use of anti-malarial drug HCQ for treatment of Covid-19 by the relevant authorities, they added.
In a letter dated June 02, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi informed the foreign affairs ministry about the issue.
The letter said although the World Health Organisation (WHO) had announced suspension of clinical trial of HCQ for treatment of Covid-19, India would continue the use of HCQ for Covid-I9 while several European governments moved to halt its use on May 27, 2020.
According to the WHO, "The use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are accepted as generally safe for use in patients with autoimmune diseases or malaria."
"An observational study published in the Lancet, (a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal), on 22 May found that, among 100,000 patients from multiple countries randomized to receive hydroxychloroquine, when used alone or with a macrolide, there was a higher mortality rate and an increased frequency of irregular heartbeats," WHO mentioned on its website.
The letter noted that HCQ earlier was being considered as a potential treatment and prevention for Covid-19 which led to its increased demand worldwide.
Subsequently, India exported HCQ to 97 countries during the ongoing pandemic and was to donate 10 million HCQ tablets to 67 countries, mostly in Asian and African countries, including 0.1 million pieces of HCQ tablets donated to Bangladesh, the letter added.
Moreover, it (India) also allocated 1,500 kgs of HCQ Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) to three Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies as per their demand and rationed among them in the past weeks, it mentioned.
The neighbouring country produces 70 per cent of the total global HCQ output and has an annual installed capacity of around 200 million tablets of HCQ of 200mg each.
India's export of HCQ API stood at US$ 1.22 billion, while exports of formulations made from HCQ were at US$ 5.50 billion during the April-January 2019-20 period.
"After the recent move by WHO and several western governments, it is expected that the global demand for HCQ is to go down. With this, India also loses its biggest tool of health diplomacy during the ongoing pandemic," the letter reads.
In its view, Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has suggested re-evaluating the use of HCQ for treatment of Covid-19 by the health ministry and authorities concerned.
Further, it has recommended careful monitoring on the import of this medicine or its API through the commerce ministry and other authorities concerned.
On 22 March, the Indian Council of Medical Research recommended HCQ as a preventive treatment for health personnel and family members handling Covid-19 patients.
The resultant high demand for the drug led the Indian government to ban its export on March 25.
HCQ earlier raised hopes of emerging as a potential treatment and prevention measure, especially after US President Donald Trump declared it as a Covid-19 "game-changer on March 19.
In the following week, the world saw a high diplomatic row which expanded to Trump-Modi phone call, the US President's 'retaliation' threat against India, the Modi government's relaxation for exports of the medicine to the friendly countries, the letter also noted.
Prior to the WHO declaration on HCQ clinical trial suspension, Donald Trump, who has been a big promoter of HCQ and declared time and again that he has been taking the tablets, also stated that he had `finished, just finished," his course of the medicine, according to the letter.
When contacted, associate professor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Dr. Shamim Ahmed said, "We learnt that the use of HCQ has not been found to be effective in treatment of Covid-19 patients."
According to the various global studies on the use of HCQ, some complexities are created in the lungs of Covid-19 infected patients after taking the drug, he added.
He suggested that such drug should not be used for the coronavirus-infected patients without evidence and proper regulatory approval.
