Coronavirus treatment: Plasma therapy does not reduce the risk of death in COVID-19 patients, says ICMR; Delhi government to still continue the therapy

According to a recent study conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, the top medical body of India, convalescent plasma (CP) therapy does not seem to reduce the death risk in moderate to severe coronavirus patients. The study was titled ‘Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate COVID-19 in India: An open-label parallel-arm phase II multicentre randomized controlled trial (PLACID Trial)’.

In plasma therapy, people who have recovered from COVID-19 donate their blood as it has the antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The blood is then processed to remove blood cells, leaving behind plasma and antibodies. This plasma is then transfused into an infected coronavirus patient to boost his ability to fight the virus.

To conduct the study, a total of 464 coronavirus patients were analyzed, who had developed moderate symtomps of the disease including difficulty in breathing and oxygen saturation less than 93 per cent. The COVID patients were divided into two groups to analyze the impact of plasma therapy on reducing the death risk and stopping the progression of the infection. Hence, 235 patients of the first group were given plasma therapy to aid their recovery, while 229 COVID-19 patients received the best standard of care treatment.

Patients in the first group were given two doses of 200 ml plasma, 24 hours apart. The outcome of the patients in both groups was compared after 28 days and it was found that 34 patients of the first group (those who had received plasma therapy) had succumbed to the disease. In contrast, 31 patients, who were given the best standard of care treatment and did not receive plasma therapy, had died. The ICMR study also noted that 17 patients in both groups developed severe symptoms and their condition deteriorated.

The study highlighted that there was no adverse reaction of the plasma therapy and it did provide certain mild reliefs to the coronavirus patients. The researchers observed that CPT helped in alleviating certain symptoms like fatigue and shortness of breath.

While the top medical body of India maintained that CPT (convalescent plasma therapy) had little to no impact on reducing the death risk from COVID-19 or lessening the severity of the disease, the Delhi government is keen on continuing the treatment for patients who have developed severe COVID-19 symptoms.

According to a report by NDTV, Delhi’s health minister, who recovered from the highly infectious disease in the month of June said, “More than 1,000 COVID patients have been given plasma in Delhi and most of them benefitted and their lives were saved. I know, I have recovered."

The health minister of Delhi further noted, “The ICMR study does not say there are no benefits of plasma therapy, it says CPT may not be effective for a patient on a ventilator. Even after a COVID patient reaches the ICU, there are three stages of recovery. We are also saying that plasma therapy does not benefit those at stage 3 of the disease. But it helps those in stages 1 and 2."

It should be noted that scientists and medical experts across the world are cautious about promoting the use of CPT and call it an experimental treatment which may help in aiding recovery. The World Health Organization has maintained that there is not enough evidence that plasma therapy works in treating those battling the novel coronavirus.