The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) on Monday brushed aside allegation by Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder and Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury that the drug administration was not willing to validate Gonoshasthaya-developed coronavirus testing kits.
Director General of DGDA Maj Gen Mahbubur Rahman clarified the stance of the directorate at a press conference at the Secretariat in the capital on Monday.
Earlier, Gonoshasthaya Kendra alleged that the drug administration seemed to be unwilling to examine the testing kit -- Rapid Dot Blot -- developed by a team of researchers of Gonoshasthaya. Trials found its accuracy to be more than 90 percent, it claimed.
In this regard, Maj Gen Mahbubur Rahman said, “They (Gonoshasthaya officials) said the kits were 100 percent accurate. Be it 100 percent or 90 percent or whatever – we have to try it first".
A certain protocol has to be developed and this protocol has to be approved by Bangladesh Medical Research Council and DGDA, he said.
“Then they have to conduct performance trial under the protocol and give us a report. We then give a final report evaluating the performance report,” he said.
Without maintaining due process, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury was spreading misleading information in media about the DGDA, said Mahbubur Rahman, adding that he had rejected any such allegations brought against his directorate.
Earlier, on April 25, Gonoshasthaya organised a handover ceremony of the kit at its Nagar Hospital. No DGDA representatives were present on the occassion.
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