Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Tuesday announced the commercial launch of a covid-19 test kit developed by the BCSIR at a base price of Tk 250-300, the cheapest in the market, and which may help ramp up coronavirus testing in the country.
Professor Md Aftab Ali Sheikh, chairman of BCSIR, made this announcement at a press conference at the BSMMU auditorium in the capital, read a press release.
BSMMU has primarily manufactured 5 lakh Covid kits after securing the approval from Bangladesh Medical Research Center (BMRC) and Director General of Drug and Administration (DGDA).
BCSIR developed the low-cost Covid kit in collaboration with BSMMU and the University of Dhaka.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, thousands of Bangladeshi citizens died of Covid-19 and hundreds of thousands of people affected by the widespread virus. Since the pandemic, Bangladesh health officials collect almost 1,31,58,764 samples till 4 August 2020 across the country.
The government heavily relied on the imports and donation for the Covid testing kits. As the Covid-19 frequently changes its genome imported kits sometimes showed false results.
“That is why BCSIR has initiated a project in its laboratory to develop a gold standard RT-PCR kit which would be less expensive.” Professor Md Aftab Ali Sheikh said
“We used ‘Primer and Probe’ which is designed by our scientists that makes the kits unique and different. The specificity, sensitivity and accuracy is more modern than the imported kits.” He added.
BSMMU has been continuing its research on Covid kit, Diabetics and Nipah Virus. We experimented with our kits on patients and we succeeded. Said Dr. Sharfuddin Ahmed.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Treasurer Professor Dr Mohammad Atiqur Rahman, Dhaka University Professor Rafiqul Hasan and chairman of the Department of Virology Dr. Afzalun Nesa were also present at the inauguration ceremony.
