So far 85 coronavirus patients have undergone plasma therapy at Gandhi Medical College, the ICMR, however, has cautioned against the indiscriminately use of CPT. Around 80 per cent patients who were administered plasma at the state-run medical facility have recovered from the infection. The medical experts, however, opined that the therapy has shown no remarkable results on the patients and most of them cured through regular medication.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), on Wednesday, said that indiscriminate use of CPT against the Covid-19 was not advisable. Convalescent Plasma Transfusion (CPT) is conducted on patients only when they ask for it, or else they are given regular treatment, say medical experts here.
Since there is no specific medicine to treat Coronavirus patients, anti-malaria drugs and other vitamins are recommended and depending on their condition oxygen supply and ventilator support is ensured, said doctors. Most of the patients got cured of the infection while undergoing regular medication.
Medical superintendent of Hamidia Hospital Dr ID Chaurasia said, “Plasma therapy has no additional benefit to patients but we administer plasma on demand of patients for their satisfaction. So far we have administered plasma to 85 patients and 80 per cent of them were cured. But their condition was already good and they were showing signs of improvement with oxygen and normal treatment.”
Dr Rita Saxena, who was heading plasma therapy trials in Gandhi Medical College, said, “We have already asked ICMR to make clear that plasma therapy does not have additional benefit in the treatment of covid-19 patients.”
Plasma is unnecessarily administered to patients on their demand and only for their satisfaction, said Saxena.
ICMR conducted an open-label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (PLACID trial) in the country across 39 public and private hospitals on the use of CPT in the management of cases with moderate Covid-19 infection. The therapy involves the use of plasma from people who have recovered from the infection to aid the immune response of those still fighting it. The study has concluded that the therapy did not lead to a 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 CPT.
