Convalescent Plasma Therapy does not reduce mortality rate in COVID-19 patients: ICMR

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Wednesday said that indiscriminate use of Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT) should be avoided because it does not reduce death rate in patients suffering from COVID-19, reported ANI. 

“ICMR conducted an open-label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial in India across 39 public and private hospitals on the use of convalescent plasma in the management of cases with moderate COVID-19 disease (PLACID Trial),” ICMR said in its new advisory.

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“It was concluded that Convalescent Plasma Therapy (CPT) did not lead to reduction in progression to severe COVID-19 or all-cause mortality in the group that received CPT as compared to the group that did not receive CPT4. Indiscriminate use of CPT is not advisable,” ICMR said advising states to hold back the use of the therapy.

The country’s top medical research body also said that similar studies conducted in China and the Netherlands show no significant benefit of CPT during the treatment.

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The issued SoP came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met the senior officials to assess the deteriorating COVID-19 situation in Delhi. On October 20, ICMR chief Balram Bhargava said that the central government is planning to remove plasma therapy from national treatment guidelines for COVID-19.