Plasma23 Oct 2020 08:51
Convalescent plasma has no clinical benefit for COVID-19 patients, according to a new study.
The study, published in the British Medical Journal, assessed 464 COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals in India between April and July.
They were split into two groups - one got two transfusions of convalescent plasma 24 hours apart and best standard care. The other group received best standard care only.
Convalescent plasma treatment infuses people who are suffering with blood plasma from someone who has already recovered in the hope it will help the new patient fight off the disease.
After seven days, the group who received the plasma showed an improvement in symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue, leading to higher rates of "negative conversion" - a sign that the virus is being neutralised by antibodies.
But it did not cut the number of deaths or the progression to severe disease within 28 days, with the study saying it showed "no net clinical benefit to patients".
Ian Jones, a professor of virology, also at Reading University, said: "The poor performance of convalescent plasma in this trial is disappointing but not entirely surprising.
https://news.sky.com/story/plasma-from-recovered-covid-cases-has-no-clinical-benefit-for-patients-12111815