ICMR nod to 28 institutes for plasma therapy trials
Transfusing critically ill Covid-19 patients with convalescent plasma -- a component of blood rich in antibodies from patients who recovered from the disease -- so that they can fight of f the disease is a treatment showing promise world over.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved 28 out of 113 institutions that showed interest in conducting convalescent plasma therapy trials for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients, according to an official from the top medical body.
Transfusing critically ill Covid-19 patients with convalescent plasma -- a component of blood rich in antibodies from patients who recovered from the disease -- so that they can fight of f the disease is a treatment showing promise world over.
“The process for the plasma therapy trials is on; institutions are being approved and patients are being recruited. It will, however, be some time before anything conclusive can be said on the results of this therapy,” said Dr Rajni Kant Srivastava, spokesperson for ICMR.
In Delhi, seven institutes, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Batra Hospital, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and Max Hospital Saket have been approved to participate in the trials.
Max Hospital in Saket had transfused plasma last month into a Covid-19 patient with good results. The patient was on ventilator, and the hospital sought approval on compassionate grounds as the family of the patient insisted.
The patient recovered and was recently discharged, “but it is important that we also understand that plasma therapy is no magic bullet. During the patient’s treatment at Max Hospital, Saket, other standard treatment protocols were followed and we can say that plasma therapy could have worked as a catalyst in speeding up his recovery. We cannot attribute 100% recovery to plasma therapy only, as there are multiple factors which carved his path to recovery,” said Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, group medical director – Max Healthcare.
The ICMR earlier this month came out with a detailed document on the study model using plasma therapy. The sample size finalised for the multi-centre clinical trials is 452.
Currently, no effective treatments are available for the Covid-19 disease. Scientists and Researchers are working on many aspects of treatment options for the development of vaccination and medication to combat this life-threatening problem.
