BSMMU to submit report on Gonoshasthaya kit soon

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) will present soon the results of performance trial of the coronavirus antibody testing kit developed by Gonoshasthaya Kendra.

“We’ve already conducted the performance trial. Also, we’ve almost completed processing data and prepare the final report,” BSMMU vice-chancellor Kanak Kanti Barua told UNB on Sunday.

He said Prof Shahina Tabassum, head of the committee formed to conduct the performance study of the COVID-19 rapid testing kits developed by Gonoshasthaya, informed him that they will submit the report to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) within a day or two.

He, however, said they are not going to make any report on the GK’s coronavirus-testing antigen kit as the organisation withdrew it on 2 June.

Asked whether they will conduct the performance trial of antigen kit if the organisation resubmits samples with modification, the VC said they are unlikely to do that.

“They (GK) submitted the kit on 20 May and withdrew it on 2 June. We won’t wait for an unlimited time.

According to GK, its antibody kit will help identify whether people have been infected with coronavirus in the past and the presence of antibodies or resistance power in their bodies. It will also help collect plasma of those who have recovered.

In a press release on 2 June, GK requested the BSMMU authorities to suspend the performance study of its coronavirus-testing antigen kit due to the detection of some inconsistencies in sample collection procedure.

GK said it is upgrading the sample collection process.

On 17 March, GK announced that they developed a testing kit that can examine samples to detect COVID-19 within 15 minutes, but the kit was still not approved by the authorities concerned.

Later on 30 April 30, the DGDA permitted Gonoshasthaya to get its kits tested. The DGDA informed Gonoshasthaya that the performance study of the kits could be done either at the BSMMU or IEDCR.

On 2 May, the BSMMU authorities formed a six-member committee, headed by Virology Department’s former chairman Prof Shahina Tabassum, to conduct the performance study of the testing kits as the organisation approached the country’s premier medical university.