Use of convalescent plasma is not effective in treating COVID-19, according to Lancet magazine

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, researchers continue to search for effective treatments. Doctors must be up to date with scientific publications so as not to endanger their patients with coronavirus. So far, many patients with COVID-19 have been treated in a experimental with plasma, containing anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

It is a procedure which has been tested in other pandemics it was therefore one of the first promising therapies considered. Several medical groups, including in Argentina, are using this therapy on an experimental basis to give hope to those leading the risk of dying because of COVID-19.

From now on, the results of the RECOVERY collaborative group, published in The Lancet, show that there is no evidence that convalescent plasma offers benefits beyond usual care. In addition, no significant effect was observed on the proportion of patients discharged from hospital. The work was funded by the UK Center for Research and Innovation (Medical Research Council) and the National Institute for Health Research.

“At RECOVERY, the largest clinical trial on convalescent plasma for any infectious indication, we found no evidence that it improves survival or other clinical outcomes pre-specified in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. It is not known if the convalescent plasma would benefit other groups of patients and should be evaluated in other randomized clinical trials, adequately nourished ”, indicates the conclusion of the study carried out between May 28, 2020 and January 15 2021. Results were evaluated at 28 days after randomization, with additional analyzes specified at six months.

Previously, other studies, including the ICMR-PLACID trial in India as well as the PlasmAr trial in Argentina, also demonstrated that plasma therapy had no benefit for hospitalized Covid patients.

// Blood plasma transfusions are unnecessary for severely coronavirus patients

“Every time I see someone asking for it (recovery plasma) for a family member / acquaintance, it makes me sad. The current evidence shows that it will not work and exposes the patient to side effects, ”wrote on his Twitter account Dr. Miguel Morales Barrios, pediatric resident at MetroHealth / Case Western University in Cleveland, United States.

“Although they are not that common, if the guidelines are followed some of the risks are: transmitted infections (HIV, hepatitis), allergic reactions, anaphylaxis, non-hemolytic febrile reactions, acute lung damage, metabolic complications, post-transfusion purpura, etc. ”added the specialist in a second tweet.

On the work of The Lancet

The study found no significant difference in the 28-day mortality rate between the two groups: 1,399 (24%) of 5,795 patients died in the convalescent plasma group and 1,408 (24%) of 5,763 patients died in the usual care group. The mean time to discharge was 12 days in the convalescent plasma group and 11 days in the usual care group.

“Patients in the recovering plasma group had a similar probability of being released alive within 28 days compared to the usual care group,” the study said.

The quantity of effort invested In every transfusion of recovering plasma, from the donor to the blood bank, from the medical team to the patient, it is equally important to consider whether the transfusion will be of benefit. Current and future studies explore the next class of COVID-19 therapies, including small molecule antivirals, next-generation monoclonal and polyclonal antibody therapies, and immunomodulatory agents.