Red tape deprives Pinoys of breakthrough dengue diagnostic kit

MANILA, Philippines – A breakthrough diagnostic kit that can detect dengue in just 40 minutes has been developed in the country to fight the disease and prevent deaths from its virus.

However, the kit, developed three years ago, has yet to the get approval from the University of the Philippines, which funded the research on dengue prevention, a head of the research team in infectious disease said on Wednesday.

Dr. Raul Destura, associate professor at the UP-Manila and a research faculty at UP’s National Institutes of Health, said despite delays in the use of the kit, he is getting final approval from the UP administration to bring the product to the market.

“We are actually ready to roll. I’m just waiting for the go-signal of the document from the university,” he told The STAR in an interview.

Destura, an acknowledged dengue expert, said he formed startup company, Manila HealthTek Inc., two years ago to distribute the Biotek-M Dengue Kit.

He said he believes the Philippines may be the first country in the Asia Pacific, if not the world, to come up with the early dengue diagnostic device that can confirm dengue in less than an hour.

But he said he had received reports that Malaysia has overtaken the Philippines in bringing such a product to market.

Destura, also former director of UP Manila’s National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, expressed disappointment over the delays in making the kit accessible to the people.

Since he and a team of infectious disease specialists, molecular biologists and biotechnologists developed the kit as part of a research and development program funded by the UP, they have to  apply for a license from the university to commercialize the diagnostic technology.

The license nails down the royalty fees UP will get, of which Destura has a minor share as lead developer of the technology.

The commercialization of the diagnostic technology also has to go through the evaluation and approval of the Department of Science and Technology and the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD), which had given multimillion-peso grants to Destura and his team to pursue their research.

“Only three years left in IP (intellectual property) protection,” Destura said, noting there is only a seven-year protection provided by a utility model patent he had secured for the diagnostic technology.

“I have capital now. In fact, I have incorporated two years ago a P4-million startup company. Unfortunately, it took awhile for people to make a final decision and I’m losing money,” Destura said.

“I cannot sell the product,” he pointed out, saying he had raised P30 million from friends who believe in the technology his team has developed.

He has since diversified his Manila HealthTek into a molecular biotechnology research and development firm.

“To save the company, I diversified it. It has also developed diagnostic kits for tuberculosis, salmonella, chikungunya, influenza, malaria, and schistosomiasis,” he said.

UP Manila chancellor Carmencita David-Padilla said Destura’s new kits would be decided on for approval this month.

The dengue diagnostic kit will be a big boon in the country’s ongoing battle against the dengue virus spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, Destura said.

He explained that the early detection of dengue would allow doctors to treat dengue victims immediately.

“Sometimes, the outcome of dengue depends on the initial management,” he said.

“It brings the advantage of anticipatory management because of early diagnosis. That’s how important diagnosing diseases early is. Rather than being reactive,” Destura said.

On the part of patients, especially for those not suffering from dengue but just influenza or high fever, they are spared from costly hospital stays of several days when doctors are waiting for symptoms of dengue to show.

“They are spared the costs of hospital confinement, not to mention the anxiety and stress of waiting to find out if they have dengue or not,” he said.