IIIM joins hands with CSIR to conduct COVID-19 sample testing in J-K

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) are working together for testing COVID-19 samples.

Dr Ram Vishwakarma, Director, IIIM said that samples of 400 people have been collected.

"In the coronavirus crisis, CSIR and our institution Jammu are contributing to three things. The main problem is testing. Along with Jammu Medical College and state government we are doing testing. We have tested samples of 400 people. This help to segregate those people who are infected with COVID-19," he said.

Vishwakarma said IIIM is also conducting synthesis procedure of 15 molecules which are in different stages of clinical trials.

"The new medicines which are in clinical trials in India and abroad. They are in advance phase 2 and phase 3 trials. If they are approved there, even then our people will not be benefited. So, we want to prepare the synthesis procedure of 15 molecules which are in clinical trials. As soon as they are approved, we will able to manufacture them quickly," he said.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the total number of coronavirus positive cases in Jammu and Kashmir has climbed to 116.

( With inputs from ANI )