Treatment of coronavirus with blood plasma: in the United States allowed to use an untested method

Regulatory authorities in the United States have decided to use the blood plasma of recovered patients in the treatment of patients with COVID-19, despite the lack of clinical trials confirming the effectiveness of this therapy. Writes about it with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided to issue a temporary license for the use of blood plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19 for the treatment of those infected with coronavirus.

The statement states that more than 70 thousand patients received such treatment, while no negative consequences were recorded. This may indicate the safety of therapy.

FDA officials also stressed that full clinical trials are needed to test the effectiveness of plasma therapy. They must be carried out in such a way that they meet all norms and standards (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled), all this when taking into account a large sample of patients. So far, such global tests have not been possible.

One of the reasons for the failure of testing is that many candidates, after learning about what they can get instead of a placebo treatment (dummy), refuse to experiment.

It is worth noting that plasma is a pale yellow liquid that is obtained from blood by extracting leukocytes and erythrocytes (white and red blood cells, respectively) from it. In people who have recovered from COVID-19, plasma is enriched with antibodies to the new coronavirus.

On the subject: The future after coronavirus: how scientists, writers and journalists see it

Plasma has been used to treat various infectious diseases since the end of the XNUMXth century. It is not surprising that they are trying to save those infected with coronavirus in the same way, despite the fact that the effectiveness of this treatment has not yet been confirmed by clinical trials.

Trump demands strict accountability

President Donald Trump has formally asked regulators to expedite the certification process for new COVID-19 treatments as much as possible.

Trump decided to announce the temporary permission to use blood plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 in person at a briefing at the White House, noting that the new therapy will make it possible to reduce the mortality rate from coronavirus by 35%. Unfortunately, in the materials submitted to the FDA, there was no such figure, and it has not yet been possible to find out where the US president got it from.

A number of studies have indeed indicated significant reductions in mortality among critically ill COVID-19 patients. Statistics were collected in small volumes and criticized for unrealistic conditions, for example, blood plasma was transfused in the first few days after the patient was admitted to the clinic.

As of the morning of August 24, more than 190 Americans have died from COVID-19. The epidemic has become a major factor threatening Trump's re-election. So, he is doubly interested in demonstrating success in the fight against the pandemic.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Also, the US President has repeatedly spoken out in favor of the massive use of antimalarial hydroxychloroquine drug to fight COVID-19, claiming that personally accepts it... However, an emergency authorization issued to this drug (the same as FDA approved for plasma), responded due to severe side effects.
• Is it possible to treat COVID-19 by plasma transfusion, and how it is obtained, read in our material.

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The future after coronavirus: how scientists, writers and journalists see it

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