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IPFS News Link • Drugs and Medications

Apotex hands Ottawa two million dosages of hydroxychloroquine

• Toronto.comr

The drug that U.S. President Donald Trump so famously referred to as a potential "game changer" in the fight against COVID-19 is getting into the hands of Canadian researchers in droves.

That's because North York-based Apotex, the country's largest pharmaceutical company and Canada's only manufacturer of hydroxychloroquine, is donating two million dosages of the drug to the federal government. Hydroxychloroquine is currently used to treat such conditions as malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and more.

The medication will be set aside for current and future COVID-19 related clinical trials that are approved by Health Canada's Office of Clinical Trials. Some will also be allocated to the National Emergency Strategic Stockpile (NESS) to provide emergency surge capacity to the provinces and territories in the event of a significant shortage.

Apotex, in recent weeks, shifted production priorities to produce more hydroxychloroquine. The donation will not impact anyone who is currently being treated with the drug.