PGIMER doctors bat for continuation of plasma therapy

Randomised trials did not affect mortality, but certain symptoms such as fatigue and fever were treated faster with plasma therapy, says PGI’s internal medicine department prof

Even though the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) is considering removing plasma therapy from the Covid-19 management guidelines, doctors at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) are of view that the experimental therapy should not be taken completely off the protocol.

The transfusion medicine department runs a plasma bank which caters to the need of patients from across the tricity. (HT file photo)

The clinical trials by ICMR did not show promising results. A trial conducted across 39 hospitals in India has revealed that plasma therapy neither reduces the death risk nor does it slow down the progression of the disease from mild to severe stage.

Pankaj Malhotra, professor at PGI’s internal medicine department, who was the principal investigator of the trial, said though the results were not encouraging, the therapy can be continued on a set of patients fitting into the criteria and wherever a physician feels that it can yield better results.

“As a part of study, we have come to know that the randomised trials did not have an impact on mortality, but at the same time we have to keep in mind that certain symptoms such as fatigue and fever were treated faster. Rather than doing nothing, we can actually do something and try this therapy on a certain subset,” he added.

Head of the transfusion medicine department, Professor Ratti Ram Sharma said, “For now, there is no set treatment for Covid-19 and the therapy should be given at the discretion of the physician and to those who fall under the category of treatment. It should not be used as an over-the-counter drug.”

The transfusion medicine department runs a plasma bank which caters to the need of patients from across the tricity.

PGIMER was one of the centres of the ICMR’s national trial for convalescent plasma therapy. The institute had successfully enrolled nine patients, five of whom received plasma treatment and the remaining ones were on control arm.