Jaipur, The Rajasthan government on Tuesday said it would return the entire stock of 'hydroxychloroquine 300 mg' tablets and 25 per cent of 'hydroxychloroquine 200/400 mg' tablets to private firms from where it had purchased the drug in the wake of corona outbreak.

The government said since the drug shortage had created inconvenience for arthritis patients, the medicine stock was being returned, said officials.

On Tuesday, in an order signed by Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh, it was directed that the entire stock of hydroxychloroquine 300 mg tab and 25% of hydroxychloroquine 200/400 mg tab -- widely believed to be effective in treating coronavirus -- should be returned to the firms from where these were acquired.

This stock was acquired from private players, including stockists and retailers in larger public interest with due reference to the notification issued on March 27-28 citing provisions of Rajasthan Pandemic Diseases Act 1957 in the wake of COVID-19 being announced as pandemic by WHO.

However, this acquisition brought in severe crisis of these medicines in the market which basically are being used in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients.

With the department acquiring these medicines, these patients were facing hardships due to its unavailability in the market.

These medicines will be available only on medical prescription, said Singh in his order.