On Monday, India dropped convalescent plasma therapy (CPT) from its national clinical management protocol for Covid-19.
The decision was taken by the AIIMS-ICMR Covid-19 National Task Force and the Health Ministry says that convalescent plasma offers no therapeutic benefits in patients admitted to hospital with the disease.
The therapy uses blood plasma from people who have recovered from Covid-19 to help others recover.
The Lancet Medical journal published, It comes three days after findings of the RECOVERY trial, the largest randomised trial to report results of the effect of convalescent plasma in patients hospitalised with Covid-19.
The researchers said, “In patients hospitalised with Covid-19, high-titre convalescent plasma did not improve survival or other prespecified clinical outcomes”. The study findings showed that compared with usual care alone, high-titre convalescent plasma did not reduce 28-day mortality.
“The decision was arrived after members underwent a detailed deliberation on the matter, going through all the evidence at their disposal from India and abroad. It was a well-thought-out decision, especially with reports of indiscriminate use of plasma therapy having come to light at some places,” the member added.
Plasma is the clear liquid portion of the blood that remains after red and white blood cells, platelets, and other cellular components have been taken from it. Convalescent plasma extracted from the blood of patients recovering from an infection is a source of antibodies against the infection.
