Sunday, April 05, 2020

Trump Asks India for Supplies of Hydroxychloroquine

US President Donald Trump asked Indian PM Narendra Modi for help in providing supplies of hydrochloroquine, the anti-malaria drug which has been effective against COVID-19:


The issue is whether we can make enough of the drug to supply both US and ourselves, since we don't want to fall prey to the virus after giving our supplies to someone else. We should pour resources into both medically validating and maximizing production of this drug - because spending large sums to cure people of the virus is a lot cheaper than shutting down the entire economy of the country and the world. Supplies for the elderly and the very young should be prioritized, since they're the most vulnerable. Those who are not in high-risk groups can be left to tough it out, at least until better supplies are available.

By scaling up production at low cost to supply the rest of the world during this time of need, India can turn this crisis into a showcase for Make-in-India.


No comments: