ISLAMABAD: The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) has approved the country’s first indigenous intensive care unit (ICU) ventilator, i-Live developed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC).
PAEC spokesperson Shahid Riaz Khan said the ventilator was approved by the DRAP on Wednesday, following which i-Live would now be manufactured and supplied by PAEC to hospitals in the country.
The spokesperson further said, “This is a giant leap towards self-reliance in designing and manufacturing of life-saving equipment.”
Meanwhile, PAEC Chairman Mohammad Naeem congratulated the scientists, engineers and doctors involved in the ventilator’s development.
He said that massive production of i-Live would be commenced immediately to meet the growing demand of hospitals for this crucial equipment in the context of the ongoing corona pandemic.
“Besides passing through all inner reviews and testing, the ‘i-Live’ ventilator also successfully passed the independent reviews and testing conducted throughout the development lifecycle by the evaluation team from Pakistan Innovation and Technology Centre and the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC),” PAEC said.
DRAP in a statement said the ventilator was developed by PAEC’s scientists and engineers while keeping in view all essential quality standards and regulatory requirements.
The doctors at the PAEC hospital in Islamabad also provided input during the development process, the body said.
Clinical trials of the ventilator were also conducted at Jinnah Hospital in Lahore under the supervision of senior doctors, biomedical engineers, and medical researchers, the statement said. “The ventilator effectively passed all stages of engineering evaluation and medical validation,” it added.
