Gonoshasthaya Kendra on Wednesday submitted its Covid-19 test kits to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) for effectiveness test.
A team of Gonoshasthaya consisting of Dr Bijan Kumar Shil, head of the Department of Microbiology at Gono Bishwabidyalay, and Dr Mohibullah Khandakar, vice-principle of Gonoshasthaya Samaj Vittik Medical College, submitted 200 kits to BSMMU around 11:00 am, confirmed Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder and Trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury.
Dr Zafrullah said though they were asked to deposit a fee of Tk 4,35,000 for conducting the performance study, the BSMMU authorities did not receive the money.
"We're ready to deposit the money if they want to take it," he added.
Dr Zafrullah hoped that the BSMMU authorities will complete the kit's effectiveness test soon and submit a report on it to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) within the next seven days.
Earlier on April 30, the DGDA gave Gonoshasthaya the permission to get its Covid-19 rapid testing kits tested.
The DGDA informed Gonoshasthaya that the performance study of the kits could be done either at the BSMMU or IEDCR.
On May 2, the BSMMU authorities formed a six-member committee to conduct the performance study of the testing kits as the organisation approached the country's premier medical university.
On April 25, Gonoshasthaya Kendra authorities handed over their testing kits to the BSMMU and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the final approval.
Gonoshasthaya Kendra has developed the "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 March 17, Gonoshasthaya Kendra declared that they had developed a testing kit that can examine samples to detect Covid-19 within 15 minutes.
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