The Ministry of Science on Saturday gave its go-ahead to a medical institute to treat coronavirus patients with the 'convalescent-plasma therapy'. The treatment aims at using immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person. The Science Ministry today gave its approval for providing the "innovative treatment" to Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), an institution of national importance under the Department of Science and Technology.
Convalescent-plasma therapy for coronavirus patients: How it will help
The convalescent-plasms therapy uses antibodies from the blood of cured patients to treat severely-ill COVID-19 patients. An official of the ICMR that it is not currently used or prescribed for patients in India. "As of now it will be used only in clinical trials," he said, adding that the therapy was successful in limited clinical trials in some countries on patients who were in a severe condition or on ventilator support.
Dr. Asha Kishore, Director of SCTIMST, said the technique is to use (blood) plasms of patients who have completely recovered from COVID-19 as it will be rich in antibodies. "In COVID-19, some small studies have been done in China and United States where they had tried this treatment methord -- taking the plasma of a patient who is cured and whose blood contains lot of antibodies to fight the virus," she said. Their plasma is collected and infused into COVID-19 patients who are critically ill and whose immune system cannot fight the virus. "We do not have strong evidence that it works. So it will be tested in the form of a clinical trial to see whether it will work or not," the Director told PTI on Friday.
This has to be a voluntary donation from the patients who have recovered from the disease.
"Their swab sample has to be clear 3 times before they are called clear and they have to wait for two weeks quarantine to be over only after which their blood will be collected for "plasma pheresis" process, the director explained.
The plasma can be collected, stored and kept and given whenever a critically ill patient does not respond to anything else, she said. Asha said they were hoping to get the required approvals by next week after which all logistics will be arranged.
Patients who have recovered will have to be contacted, counselled, get their informed consent and bring them to blood banks in the five medical colleges.
(With PTI inputs)
