Team Herald
Panjim: Even as the State is making more and more efforts to encourage plasma donations for COVID19-cured patients, the India Council of Medical Research (ICMR) revealed in a study that Convalescent Plasma (CP) therapy didn’t help in reducing death due to the coronavirus.
The top medical research has made these revelations to investigate the effectiveness of plasma therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 after conducting a study in 39 hospitals across India. ICMR researchers did an open-label, parallel-arm, phase II, multicentre, and randomized controlled trial from April 22 to July 14 this year.
1,210 patients (moderately ill, confirmed COVID-19 cases) admitted across 39 trial sites were screened. Of these, 29 were teaching public hospitals and 10 were private hospitals spread across 14 states and Union Territories representing 25 cities.
The study was conducted on 464 randomly enrolled participants who were hospitalized and were moderately ill, confirmed COVID-19 patients. 235 participants were put in the intervention arm while 229 subjects were in the control arm.
Participants were randomised to either the control or the intervention arm. Two doses of 200 ml CP was transfused 24 hours apart in the intervention arm.
“Composite primary outcome was achieved in 44 (18.7%) participants in the intervention arm and 41 (17.9%) in the control arm. Mortality was documented in 34 (13.6%) and 31 (14.6%) participants in intervention and control arm, respectively,” the study mentioned.
“CP was not associated with a reduction in mortality or progression to severe COVID-19. This trial has high generalisability and approximates real-life setting of convalescent plasma therapy in settings with limited laboratory capacity. A prior measurement of neutralizing antibody titres in donors and participants may further clarify the role of CP in the management of COVID-19,” concluded the findings of the study.
However, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant Health Minister Vishwajit Rane and the GMC Dean besides many other experts in Goa have reiterated that there are benefits to the use of plasma.
The Health Minister said “I don’t know about others but the plasma therapy in Goa has worked well. Plasma and Remdesivir combination in the initial period has been a game changer.”
GMC Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar too said that plasma is indeed benefited Goan patients irrespective of what studies say.
“50% of the critical patients have been saved by plasma-Remdesivir combination,” he said, while urging people to come forward to donate plasma as it will help save lives.
