Icddr,b stops oral saline produced by its staff co-operative

Icddr,b has instructed its hospitals and treatment centres to stop using glucose and rice-based saline obtained from the icddr,b Employees' Multipurpose Co-operative Society, an independent registered entity, separately managed by icddr,b employees, says a press release.
The decision has been taken by icddr,b management, pending the co-operative's registration with the Bangladesh Directorate-General of Drug Administration, which regulates oral saline under the Drug Act of 1982.
"We have no concerns about the quality of ORS produced by the co-operative," said icddr,b's Executive Director, Professor John D. Clemens," but we have contracted an alternative supplier until this matter is resolved." Chairman of the staff co-operative, Dr Anowar Hossain, confirmed the decision.
"The co-operative has stopped production and sale of all formulations of oral saline effective immediately, and we are now in the process of obtaining registration," he said.
Icddr,b management has confirmed that patient care will not be interrupted during this transition. ORS was developed by icddr,b (formerly the Cholera Research Laboratory) in the late 1960's, and since then, is estimated to have saved at least 50 millions lives worldwide.