Government removes restrictions on the export of paracetamol APIs

Government has removed restrictions on the export of paracetamol active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) almost three months after the curbs were put in place due to shortage of supply from China amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has issued a notification in this regard.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) amended the export policy for Paracetamol APIs to remove the restriction making its export "free with immediate effect", it said.

Export curbs were imposed on paracetamol and formulations made from the compound in March by the government to shore up domestic supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.

In April, the government had removed the curbs on shipments of formulations made from paracetamol, which included antibiotics, hormones and vitamins. These dozen APIs were tinidazole, metronidazole, acyclovir, vitamins B1, B6 and B12, progesterone, chloramphenicol, erythromycin and clindamycin salts, neomycin and ornidazole.

Now, it has removed restrictions on paracetamol APIs also.

API is the active ingredient that is present in the medicine.