Home-Grown Test Kit: Gonoshasthaya gives samples for approval

In another step towards the extensive production of Covid-19 test kits in Bangladesh, Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) yesterday handed over samples of the kit devised by its scientists to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and the US Centre for  Disease Control for validation checks.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra Trust Chairperson Prof Altafunnesa handed over the kits named "Rapid Dot Blot" to the representatives of the two institutions at a programme at Gonoshasthaya Kendra Nagar Hospital in the city.

The final approval, which would exact positive feedbacks from the two testing authorities, will be given by the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA).

As no one from the DGDA attended the programme, GK would deliver the sample kits to the drug authority today.

Samples of the kits will also be sent to Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.

Contacted, DGDA Director General Maj Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman said they did not send any representative as they found holding a programme "inappropriate" given the current situation.

He also said it's early to say whether the kit would be approved or not as there are some protocols to follow.

Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder trustee of GK, at the programme said, "We expect that the government would quickly approve the kit after the validation.

He also said they would be able to supply one lakh kits within a few days after they go into production.

The development comes at a time when Bangladesh is in a dire need of testing kits to test more people and isolate the positive cases – so far the best way to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

At present, Chinese test kits are being used mostly to detect Covid-19 patients in the country.

Bijon Kumar Sil, who led the team that developed the kit, said the kit pass muster in their internal tests, adding that it would able to diagnose Covid-19 in five minutes.

The team also include Nihad Adnan, Raeed Jamiruddin, Firoz Ahmed and Mohib Ullah Khondokar.

Bijon was among the researchers who had developed a kit to diagnose SARS coronavirus in 2003.