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| Photo: lindsey wasson/Reuters |
Hospitalized Covid-19 patients who received transfusions of blood plasma rich with antibodies from recovered patients reduced their mortality rate by about 50%, according to researchers running a large national study.
The researchers presented their data analysis Saturday in a webinar for physicians interested in learning about so-called convalescent plasma, with data slides that were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The researchers said they saw signs that the treatment might be working in patients who received high levels of antibodies in plasma early in the course of their illness. They based their conclusions on an analysis of about 3,000 patients.
Patients who at three days or less after diagnosis received plasma containing high levels of antibodies against the coronavirus had a mortality rate of 6.6% at seven days after the transfusion. That compared with a mortality rate of 13.3% for patients who got plasma with low levels of antibodies at four days or more after diagnosis. That indicates reduced mortality of about 50%, the researchers said.
At 30 days after transfusion, the mortality rate was reduced by about 36%, investigators reported.
The sharing of the data comes as the Food and Drug Administration is nearing a decision to authorize emergency use of convalescent plasma for treating people infected with the coronavirus. The FDA can’t comment on whether it would take such action, a spokeswoman said.
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The data were submitted to the FDA, which is sponsoring an expanded-access program led by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The Mayo Clinic organized the webinar.
The data haven’t been published in a journal or subject to peer review. At the webinar presentation, investigators said the conclusions are their own and don’t represent an official government endorsement of efficacy of convalescent plasma.
The FDA can’t comment on the conclusions of the investigators, a spokeswoman said, adding that, as with other medical products, the FDA is assessing “all of the available evidence that could potentially support the use of convalescent plasma for the management of Covid-19.”Read the rest of the story HERE and follow links below to related stories and resources:
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