Indian pharmaceutical firms will play important role in fight against COVID19 pandemic: Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu

Indian pharmaceutical companies, the well-known for producing affordable low-cost medicines, will play an important role in the global fight against the coronavirus pandemic that has affected over 2.5 million people across the world, India’s top diplomat here has said.

India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu also underlined that as global strategic partners, India and the US are prepared to face this public health crisis together.

India, one of the largest producers of anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine, has seen a spurt in demand in recent weeks. India has sent the drug to over 50 countries over the last few days, including the United States, he said.

Hydroxychloroquine has been identified by the US Food and Drug Administration as a possible treatment for the COVID-19 and it is being tested on more than 1,500 coronavirus patients in New York.

“Indian pharmaceutical companies are global leaders in producing affordable low-cost medicines and will play an important role in the fight against this pandemic,” Sandhu said in his virtual conversation with Asia Society Policy Institute Senior Fellow Puneet Talwar.

In fact, India and the US have robust partnership in the area of health and scientific research, which will be critical in the fight against this disease that has killed over 171,000 people and affected over 2.5 million globally.

“Perhaps the most successful tangible example of our successful bilateral cooperation in recent years was the development of the rotavirus vaccine, which saves thousands of lives every year,” he said.

Rotavirus vaccine is a vaccine used to protect against rotavirus infections, which are the leading cause of severe diarrhea among young children.