Senior doctors of AIIMS, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) and Lok Nayak Hospital are feeling the need to rethink about who should receive the plasma therapy. A day prior, the TOI had reported that an ICMR study had shown that administering convalescent plasma to COVID-19 patients does not reduce the risk of death.

Dr Randeep Guleria, Director of AIIMS, said that plasma therapy for COVID-19 can continue, however they have to be very careful in selecting the patients who need it. Donor selection also has to be accurate.

In the Indian Council of Medical Research trial involving 464 hospitalised, moderately-ill COVID-19 patients, researchers had observed that few participants had higher antibody positivity as compared to their plasma donors.

The ICMR study had noted that the difference in severity of illness and age, as donors are young and are having milder disease, could be the reason for this difference. As all COVID-19 survivors were encouraged to donate plasma, a majority of the donors were mildly sick and young survivors. Recovered patients who were moderately or severely sick are usually hesitant to return to hospitals for donating plasma.

Dr S K Sarin, director of ILBS, which houses India’s first bank for plasma for COVID-19 patients, said that several institutions in early stages does not examine the level of neutralising antibodies in the donor resulting in bad outcomes. The ICMR study reconfirmed that their assessment, which was based on a trial conducted on 29 patients receiving plasma therapy at ILBS. It presented no mortality benefit. But there was a significant benefit in terms of clearing the viral load in those patients who had received the therapy additionally to standard care as compared to those who received only standard care.

The ILBS director further said that only patients with mild-to-moderate illness are to be given convalescent plasma. The therapy is supposed to be given within 24 to 48 hours of diagnosis. Thorough assessment of presence of adequate levels of neutralising antibodies in the donor should be compulsory. A minimum 100 COVID-19 patients at the state-run Lok Nayak Hospital had received plasma therapy till now. Dr Suresh Kumar, medical director of Lok Nayak Hospital said that larger studies are required to evaluate its benefits. A study is being conducted by ILBS and Lok Nayak Hospital involving 400 COVID-19 patients to evaluate the benefits of plasma therapy. Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital is also going to be a part in the study.

Source: ET Healthworld