Go calls on RITM, FDA to expedite processing of COVID-19 test kits
Published Mar 21, 2020 12:00 am
By Mario Casayuran
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Health and Demography Committee, has called on the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) and the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to expedite the processing of the COVID-19 test kits.
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong’’ Go
(Office of Senator Bong Go / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) ‘’It is very important for now to know who is positive with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country in order to prevent the spread of this disease. This is the reason why it is important for the RITM to act fast in validating the test kits, and the FDA in processing and the approval of the correct and accurate test kits to be used by our hospitals),” he said Go. “Iniiwasan natin na gumamit ng hindi reliable na test kits dahil posibleng magbibigay lang ito ng maling resulta, lalo na ng false negative results kung saan ang taong positibo sa sakit na COVID-19 ay aakalain na negatibo dahil sa maling resulta ng test kits (We are avoiding the use of unreliable test kits because of the possibility that this will give false negative result wherein a person positive with the COVID-19 will be declared negative based on the wrong result of the test kits,” he added. “Ito ang dahilan kung bakit sinusuri ng mabuti ng RITM at FDA ang mga pumapasok na test kits mula sa ibang bansa at pati na rin ang test kits na naimbento dito sa ating bansa. Ito ay alinsunod sa ating batas at naaayon sa ating kagustuhan na siguraduhing maayos at tama ang ating pagresponde sa krisis na ito (This is the reason why the RITM and FDA are meticulously checking all the test kits coming from other countries, as well as the test kits invented in the country. This is in accordance with our existing laws, and the need to ensure that we are making the right and correct response to this crisis,” he explained. Go pointed out that ensuring that the test kits we are using are accurate is as important as having ample supply of those test kits. He said that he was informed that despite the worldwide shortage of WHO-pre-qualified COVID-19 testing kits, our government, through the FDA, has already approved six (6) RT-PCR test kits for COVID-19, as of today. “The FDA has also made the application process easier in order to expedite the process for applying for FDA approval. About 120,500 test kits are arriving from China and South Korea this weekend. And, government has already started distributing test kits to our subnational medical facilities around the country,” he said. Go stressed that he would continue to call on the concerned agencies to expedite and to further hasten the process in acquiring the needed test kits, the assessment of applications of other classes of test kits that are yet to be approved by the FDA, the validation to be made by the RITM, and the distribution of the approved kits to the hospitals and laboratories that has the capacity to use this in the different parts of the country. “Para naman maintindihan at maliwanagan ang taumbayan kung bakit naging mabusisi ang gobyerno sa pag-apruba ng mga test kits at iba pang mga kagamitan na kailangan ngayon tulad ng PPEs, mas mabuting maipaliwanag ng RITM at FDA sa publiko ang mga hakbang na ginagawa nila (In order for the people to understand why the government has to be careful in approving the test kits and other needed equipments such as PPEs, it is better for RITM and FDA to explain to the public the measures they are undertaking),” he explained.
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong’’ Go(Office of Senator Bong Go / MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) ‘’It is very important for now to know who is positive with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country in order to prevent the spread of this disease. This is the reason why it is important for the RITM to act fast in validating the test kits, and the FDA in processing and the approval of the correct and accurate test kits to be used by our hospitals),” he said Go. “Iniiwasan natin na gumamit ng hindi reliable na test kits dahil posibleng magbibigay lang ito ng maling resulta, lalo na ng false negative results kung saan ang taong positibo sa sakit na COVID-19 ay aakalain na negatibo dahil sa maling resulta ng test kits (We are avoiding the use of unreliable test kits because of the possibility that this will give false negative result wherein a person positive with the COVID-19 will be declared negative based on the wrong result of the test kits,” he added. “Ito ang dahilan kung bakit sinusuri ng mabuti ng RITM at FDA ang mga pumapasok na test kits mula sa ibang bansa at pati na rin ang test kits na naimbento dito sa ating bansa. Ito ay alinsunod sa ating batas at naaayon sa ating kagustuhan na siguraduhing maayos at tama ang ating pagresponde sa krisis na ito (This is the reason why the RITM and FDA are meticulously checking all the test kits coming from other countries, as well as the test kits invented in the country. This is in accordance with our existing laws, and the need to ensure that we are making the right and correct response to this crisis,” he explained. Go pointed out that ensuring that the test kits we are using are accurate is as important as having ample supply of those test kits. He said that he was informed that despite the worldwide shortage of WHO-pre-qualified COVID-19 testing kits, our government, through the FDA, has already approved six (6) RT-PCR test kits for COVID-19, as of today. “The FDA has also made the application process easier in order to expedite the process for applying for FDA approval. About 120,500 test kits are arriving from China and South Korea this weekend. And, government has already started distributing test kits to our subnational medical facilities around the country,” he said. Go stressed that he would continue to call on the concerned agencies to expedite and to further hasten the process in acquiring the needed test kits, the assessment of applications of other classes of test kits that are yet to be approved by the FDA, the validation to be made by the RITM, and the distribution of the approved kits to the hospitals and laboratories that has the capacity to use this in the different parts of the country. “Para naman maintindihan at maliwanagan ang taumbayan kung bakit naging mabusisi ang gobyerno sa pag-apruba ng mga test kits at iba pang mga kagamitan na kailangan ngayon tulad ng PPEs, mas mabuting maipaliwanag ng RITM at FDA sa publiko ang mga hakbang na ginagawa nila (In order for the people to understand why the government has to be careful in approving the test kits and other needed equipments such as PPEs, it is better for RITM and FDA to explain to the public the measures they are undertaking),” he explained.