Convalescent plasma is an antibody-based product, developed from blood donated by people who have recovered from the disease caused by the virus
FDA encourages plasma donation from recovered patients to develop blood-related therapies. (Credit: PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay.)
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has encouraged patients who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma for the development of Convalescent plasma treatment.
Convalescent plasma is an antibody-based product, which is developed from blood donated by people who have recovered from the disease caused by the virus.
FDA said that it has been working together with partners across the US government, academia and industry to advance the development of critical medical products to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Based on the previous experience with respiratory viruses and limited data, the convalescent plasma has the potential to reduce the severity of the COVID-19.
The regulatory agency said that it will evaluate the therapy through clinical trials, expanded access, along with facilitating emergency access for individual patients.
Convalescent plasma is a therapy developed from blood donated by people recovered from the disease
FDA claimed that more than 1,040 sites and 950 physician-investigators across the country have signed on to participate in the expanded access protocol, led by Mayo Clinic.
Several clinical studies are being conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the convalescent plasma and the agency has granted approvals for many single-patient emergency investigational new drug (eIND) applications.
FDA said that the individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 could help people who are severely ill, where one donation has the potential to help up to four patients.
Convalescent plasma can also be used in manufacturing a biological product called hyperimmune globulin, which can similarly be used to treat patients with COVID-19.
The regulatory agency has suggested the people who have fully recovered from COVID-19 for at least two weeks, to contact their local blood or plasma collection centres to make an appointment for the plasma donation.