Research on convalescent plasma therapy at Dhaka Medical College Hospital which started last month has lost momentum as the health ministry has not yet approved it and provided no funding to continue its trial.
Neither DMCH nor the health ministry has given any clear answer in this regard.
Directorate General of Health Services prepared the protocol on April 27.
Initially, the ethical review board of DMCH has permitted to conduct the study.
DMCH on May 16 started collecting serum for starting convalescent plasma therapy on an experimental basis for treating severe and critical Covid-19 patients. It was supposed to be completed within 45 days.
In the meantime, plasma therapy has been given to the critical Covid-19 patients in the context of rising demand and confidence on the therapy without following the guidelines of DGHS.
Talking to the FE, DMCH haematology department head Professor Dr MA Khan told the FE recently that research on plasma therapy has slowed down as the government is taking no steps. There is still no funding from the ministry to continue the research.
Earlier, he said huge cost is involved with the antibody detection and citation of samples before starting therapy. Two challenges lie ahead--collecting donors and funds.
"We have to complete the research by transfusing plasma therapy to 90 patients - 45 controlled and 45 experimental group. We had a target to submit the research report by July. We wrote six months research duration in our protocol," said Dr Khan.
He also said they need at least 50-60 plasma donors but they could not collect.
"In other countries, the clinical trial expenses are borne by the government. But the guidelines should be strictly followed in transfusing plasma to the patients as the result depends on the right procedure," he said.
The therapy itself will cost about Tk 12,000 and the kit costs Tk 0.6 million, said Dr Khan.
"We will open the plasma bank for all only when the government will assure us about grants," he added.
When contacted, DMCH director Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin said the convalescent plasma therapy research project has got approval from Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC). Now the protocol has been due for approval from the ministry.
"We are transfusing plasma to various patients at DMCH and those who need it. The clinical trial process has been somewhat slowed down. But we are collecting plasma from the donors," he said.
Regarding funding of the trial, Brig Nasir said funding was a matter of the research group who are doing it. He was unaware of the matter.
When asked his comment, additional secretary of health ministry Habibur Rahman said he was unaware of the fact who as responsible to approve the protocol submitted by DMCH.
msshova@gmail.com
