Gonoshasthaya gets nod to test kits at BSMMU

Gonoshasthaya Kendra has finally got the permission to have performance study of its COVID-19 rapid dot blot testing kits.

The performance study of the kits can be done either at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) or International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), director general of Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) major general Mahbubur Rahman confirmed Prothom Alo on Thursday.

DGDA will give permission of distribution of Gonoshasthaya kits upon approval of BSMMU or icddr,b, said Mahbubur.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Zafrullah Chowdhury has thanked the government and DGDA director general after permission.

He said they will hand over 1,000 kits to BSMMU for the performance study on Sunday or Monday.

“We want a national institute to test our kits. That’s why we will go to the BSMMU for the study,” Zafrullah told Prothom Alo.

Zafrullah said it can take one week to complete the performance study of the locally produced coronavirus testing kits, UNB reports.

On 25 April, Gonoshasthaya Kendra authorities handed over their testing kits to BSMMU and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the final approval.

Gonoshasthaya Kendra has developed an "easy, effective and cheap" method to test coronavirus or COVID-19.

Gonoshasthaya-RNA Biotech Limited, a sister concern of Gonoshasthaya, with the help of experts from Singapore developed the method named 'Gonoshasthaya Rapid Dot Blot.'

On 17 March, Gonoshasthaya Kendra declared that they had developed a testing kit that can examine samples to detect COVID-19 in just 15 minutes.