FDA Authorizes Use Of Convalescent Plasma For Treatment Of Patients With Severe COVID-19
- August 24, 2020
The Wall Street Journal (8/23, A1, Burton, Marcus, Subscription Publication) reports the FDA authorized the use of convalescent plasma for the treatment of patients with severe COVID-19.
The New York Times (8/23, A1, Lafraniere, Fink, Thomas, Haberman) reports, “No randomized trials of the sort researchers consider most robust have yet shown benefit from convalescent plasma.” However, the FDA “said the data it had so far, including more than a dozen published studies, showed that ‘it is reasonable to believe’ that the treatment ‘may be effective in lessening the severity or shortening the length of COVID-19 illness in some hospitalized patients,’ in particular those who receive it early.”
Reuters (8/23, Bose, Roston) reports, “So far, 70,000 patients have been treated using blood plasma, the FDA said.” The “patients who benefited the most from this treatment are those under 80 years old and who were not on a respirator, the agency said.”