Skip to content
Search
Please enter at least 3 characters.

Latest Stories

India will sell hydroxychloroquine to Malaysia

India will sell hydroxychloroquine tablets to Malaysia for use in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, a Malaysian minister said on Wednesday (15).

India is the world's largest producer of hydroxychloroquine, sales of which have soared across the world including in the US, especially after president Donald Trump touted it as a potential weapon against COVID-19.


Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, IPCA Laboratories and Cadila Healthcare are among India's leading suppliers of hydroxychloroquine.

New Delhi had last month put a hold on exports of hydroxychloroquine to secure supplies for itself, before agreeing this month to supply it to some of its neighbours as well as "nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic".

"On 14 April, India has given permission for Malaysia to import 89,100 tablets," Malaysia's deputy foreign minister Kamarudin Jaffar said.

"We will try to get more hydroxychloroquine tablets from India, which is also subject to stock availability."

Malaysia has been using hydroxychloroquine for mild to severe COVID-19 cases along with other drugs, according to its treatment protocol.

It has the second highest number of infections of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia with nearly 5,000 cases, 82 of whom have died.

India's decision to sell the sought-after drug to Malaysia signals a turnaround in relations between the countries that had soured because of repeated criticism of some Indian policies by Mahathir Mohamad, before he resigned as Malaysia's prime minister in February.

Malaysia had asked for more than one million hydroxychloroquine tablets from India, reports said.

Cadila has increased production tenfold to 30 metric tonnes per month and is ready to produce more if needed, Managing Director Sharvil Patel said.

More For You

UK economy contracts unexpectedly in January

Chancellor Rachel Reeves speaks while holding roundtable discussion during a visit to RAF Waddington in eastern England. (Photo by YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UK economy contracts unexpectedly in January

BRITAIN's economy unexpectedly shrank in January, official data showed on Friday (14), piling more pressure on the Labour government ahead of its Spring Statement on the economy.

Gross domestic product contracted 0.1 per cent in the month after GDP rose 0.4 per cent in December, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan seeks £3.4bn bank loan to tackle mounting energy sector debt

Pakistan’s government is the largest shareholder or owner of most power companies

Pakistan seeks £3.4bn bank loan to tackle mounting energy sector debt

Eastern Eye

PAKISTAN government is negotiating a 1.25 trillion Pakistani rupee (£3.4 billion) loan with commercial banks to reduce its bulging energy sector debt, the power minister and banking association said.

Plugging unresolved debt across the sector is a top priority under an ongoing $7bn (£5.4bn) International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout, which has helped Pakistan dig its way out of an economic crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Deliveroo posts first annual profit after 12 years

A Deliveroo rider near Victoria station in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Deliveroo posts first annual profit after 12 years

FOOD DELIVERY app Deliveroo announced on Thursday (13) its first annual profit as orders and revenue rose, while the 12-year old company sees further growth despite exiting Hong Kong.

The milestone follows sizeable full-year losses owing to high investment costs since American Will Shu founded the company in 2013 and made Deliveroo's first delivery in London.

Keep ReadingShow less
JLR-Tata-Getty

JLR had initially planned to manufacture more than 70,000 electric vehicles at the facility. (Photo: Getty Images)

JLR halts plan to build EVs at Tata’s India plant: Report

JAGUAR LAND ROVER (JLR) has put on hold plans to manufacture electric vehicles at Tata Motors’ upcoming £775 million factory in southern India, according to a news report.

The decision was influenced by challenges in balancing price and quality for locally sourced EV components, three of the sources said. They added that slowing demand for electric vehicles was also a factor.

Keep ReadingShow less