Blood plasma from people receiving COVID-19 could help prevent serious illness in elderly patients newly infected with the virus, a small new study from Argentina found.
The findings give new hope to the idea that “convalescent plasma” may play a role in the treatment of COVID-19. Earlier studies had been disappointing, showing that the treatment had little effect on people with severe, advanced cases of COVID-19.
But the new test of 160 patients was performed in people with the new coronavirus who were not yet sick enough to seek hospital care. The average patient was 77 years old.
In the trial, 80 patients received plasma and 80 received placebo treatment.
According to the study’s authors, “true respiratory disease developed in 13 of 80 patients – 16% – who received convalescent plasma and 25 of 80 patients – 31% – who received placebo.”
In other words, the treatment halved the likelihood that a patient would go on to require additional oxygen to breathe, the authors said.
But there were two main reasons why donated plasma was effective in reducing illness: It had to be given within 72 hours of the onset of symptoms, and plasma must have a high concentration of disease-fighting antibodies .
In the study, approximately 28% of volunteers who had received COVID-19 and had given their plasma had the high levels of antibodies in their plasma required for medical benefit. implementation, the team said.
“The evidence that early administration of convalescent plasma treatment can improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients is important,” said lead investigator Dr. Fernando Polack of the nonprofit health group Fundación Infant in Buenos Aires.
“There is a shortage of treatments today to prevent mild to severe illness and there is no clear path to keep these patients out of hospitals, where capacity is still stretched,” Polack said. in a Fundación press release.
“Our findings provide a roadmap for early intervention among people at higher risk, allowing us to expect a better prognosis for patients while at the same time reducing the risk. need oxygen support and hospitalization, “Polack said.
One U.S. expert confirmed that the treatment is not yet the cure for most COVID-19 patients, including those who are critically ill.
The study’s findings “are changing things for a very small subset of patients,” said Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, who leads emergency care services at Northwell Health in New Hyde Park, NY
Patients must be able to access donor plasma within three days of their first symptoms, and plasma must have a high antibody count. Also, she said, “we don’t know about the long-term effects of this treatment and if it’s stable.”
Narasimhan noted that other treatment options – in particular, monoclonal antibody treatments, such as the one given to President Donald Trump – are available. These treatments may be “an overall more beneficial treatment,” she said, so “head – to – head studies are needed to assess which treatment will most benefit.”
However, Polack’s team noted that “passive vaccination” methods such as convalescent plasma have been used for over a century, most recently during the outbreak of Ebola, MERS and SARS.
“Effective and swiftly planned ways to prevent COVID-19 patient hospitalization are critical to saving lives as it will take some time for new vaccines to reach everyone who needs them,” Dr. Keith Klugman, director of Bill’s pneumonia program and Melinda Gates Foundation, the study’s funder, said in the news release.
“In addition to identifying the effectiveness of a device that can be implemented and affordable in lower-income countries, the study provides key insights into the immune response to COVID. -19 that could help with the development of other medical interventions, “Klugman noted.
The findings were published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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For more on COVID-19, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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