The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) has again refused to accept samples of Gonoshasthaya Kendra’s rapid Covid-19 testing kits despite a team from the organization directly approaching the authority on Sunday.
With the latest refusal, Gonoshasthaya Kendra has now failed to hand over samples of their GR Covid-19 Dot Blot kits thrice in the span of only 15 days.
They had to cancel their first handover attempt due to an electrical malfunction that hampered the production of the kits on April 11.
However, at Saturday’s event, no government officials were present.
This compelled the organization to send a three-member delegation with the kit samples to the concerned offices on Sunday which then were not accepted by the DGDA.
Gonoshasthaya Kendra officials claimed that the drug administration rejected their kits without citing any valid reason.
But the organization did manage to provide their kit samples to representatives of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during Saturday’s event.
However, commenting on the issue, Maj Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman, director general of DGDA, said on Saturday: “Gonoshasthaya Kendra could’ve held a large event to hand over the kits after securing proper approvals. This is not a big deal. But their kits are still under trial and haven’t got any official clearance.
“A testing kit that is still under trial cannot be handed over in this way. We even told them in written not to hold a ceremony of this kind.”
Meanwhile, Gonoshasthaya Kendra Founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury claimed that the DGDA, for its own benefit, had suggested the organization reach the government institution via a third party contract research organization (CRO) in order to properly maintain the approval process.
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury disclosed the matter at the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhaka's Dhanmondi on Sunday.
Zafarullah alleged that the DGDA wanted to involve a business-based private consulting organization as a CRO instead of BSMMU, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), and the Institute of Public Health (IPH), which also play the role of CROs.
The DGDA, however, dismissed allegations leveled by the Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder.
“The kit samples produced by Gonoshasthaya Kendra will be tested and studied in BSMMU, IEDCR and IPH. The results, observations, and data given by these organizations will then be evaluated by us.
“After that we will decide about what to do with the kits of Gonoshasthaya Kendra,” the DGDA chief Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.
Zafarullah, however, alleged that the drug administration did not refer Gonoshasthaya Kendra to the aforementioned government CROs.
“Maj Gen Md Mahbubur Rahman had said that – BSMMU, IEDCR, and IPH – do not fall under the drug administration’s jurisdiction,” he said before adding, “Our kits are not being accepted by the government because the DGDA is corrupt.”
Claiming corrupt DGDA officials were helping private companies manufacturing Covid-19 test kits, Zafrullah said: “The DGDA is serving private interests instead of serving the people.”
