WHO says plasma therapy still ‘experimental’
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The World Health Organization says using plasma from the recovered to treat COVID-19 is still considered an "experimental" therapy and that the preliminary results showing it may work are still "inconclusive."
President Donald Trump on Sunday approved an emergency authorization of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients.
Trump announces plasma treatment authorized for COVID-19
WHO’s chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said convalescent plasma therapy has been used in the last century to treat numerous infectious diseases, with varying levels of success. Swaminathan says WHO still considers convalescent plasma therapy to be experimental and said it should continue to be evaluated. She added that the treatment is difficult to standardize, since people produce different levels of antibodies and the plasma must be collected individually from recovered patients.
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In this Friday, June 12, 2020 file photo, a doctor holds a bag of blood plasma donated by a COVID-19 survivor at at blood bank in La Paz, Bolivia. Mayo Clinic researchers are reporting a strong hint that blood plasma from COVID-19 survivors helps other patients recover. But it's not proof, and some experts worry if, amid clamor for the treatment, they'll ever get a clear answer.[AP Photo/Juan Karita]
Swaminathan says that the studies have been small and provided "low-quality evidence." She says countries can "do an emergency listing if they feel the benefits outweigh the risks" but that that’s "usually done when you’re waiting for the more definitive evidence."
Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior adviser to WHO’s director-general, said that convalescent plasma therapy can come with numerous side effects, from a mild fever and chills to more severe lung-related injuries.
Many unknowns remain as more potential COVID-19 treatments emerge