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The government has approved production and use of Oxyjet, a C-PAP ventilator device developed by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, after successfully completing a three-step trial this month.
The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) gave the approval for producing 200 Oxyjet devices in a bid to meet the demand for medical oxygen for Covid-19 patients.
Confirming the matter on Thursday, DGDA Director Md Ayub Hossain said the outcome of a limited scale use of Oxyjet will decide whether these devices will be produced on a larger scale.
“Buet has been allowed to produce 200 Oxyjet devices on limited scale after trials and taking views of experts into account. Large scale production and use will be ensured after observing the performance of these initial devices,” he said.
Led by Buet’s Biomedical Engineering Department Assistant Professor Taufiq Hasan, a team of students – Meemnur Rashid, Kawsar Ahmed, Farhan Muhib, Kayser Ahmed and Saidur Rahman – began developing the indigenous device in May last year after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country.
The Buet team claimed that their device is capable of delivering a maximum of 60 litres of oxygen per minute, which can be used for acute Covid-19 patients in need of ICUs support.
The indigenous device can be used effectively for patients who need more than 15 liters of oxygen, which is the maximum limit for general beds in hospital.
At the same time, an Oxyjet device would also cost a fraction compared to imported C-PAP machines that are available in the market.
Currently, imported ventilator machines starting from Tk 1 lakh and can reach up to Tk 5 lakh for high flow nasal cannula. However, the entire setup of an Oxyjet device would cost only Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000, the inventors claimed.
Talking to The Business Post, Taufiq Hasan said “I think this device will be able to help patients seeking ICU beds. This will be crucial for those who are in need of ICU support.”
We have been permitted to produce 200 devices after maintaining various conditions during trial. I hope to we can produce them within 2 months in line with DGDA’s requirement, he added.
Though the research team successfully completed the three step clinical trial at the beginning of this month, it took the government much time to approval due to bureaucracy and regulations at DGDA.
In July, High Court sought the prime minister attention in providing approval for the device after a lawyer brought the issue to the court’s attention.
“We cannot give approval without proper assessment as it is related to public health. The approval has been given after proper evaluation and in consultation with experts in the field,” DGDA Director Md Ayub Hossain said.
