A study published on Monday in the medical journal "JAMA Internal Medicine" found that blood plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 is effective as a treatment for those exhibiting severe symptoms of the virus. Researchers stated that for it to be more effective, the plasma, administered through a blood transfusion, should be given early in the course of the disease to hospitalized patients, before they need high levels of supplemental oxygen or become hypoxic.
It also appears to yield the best results in patients who have not been treated with Remdesivir, an antiviral drug studied for use against the coronavirus, or corticosteroid medications, which have been used to reduce multi-organ inflammation in severe cases.
Dr. Liz Anne Pirofski, a professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City, stated, "This treatment was effective early in the pandemic when other treatments were not available." She added, "Early treatment with blood plasma is a viable option and is likely to be beneficial, especially in older patients."
Convalescent plasma, or blood plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from illness, has been used to treat infectious diseases for over a century. According to researchers, individuals who survive severe infections develop antibodies, which are proteins produced by the immune system to combat viruses and other pathogens. These antibodies are present in the bloodstream.
By transfusing blood from recovered patients to infected or recently ill patients, these antibodies can provide the immune system the strength needed to fight the virus. In August of last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of blood plasma to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals. Since then, the National Institutes of Health has included the treatment in its guidelines for managing the virus, provided that the collected plasma contains high levels of antibodies, according to a report from "UPI."
