AHMEDABAD: One of the major government run hospitals in Ahmedabad may soon be the centre for clinical trials for
blood plasma therapy
as a possible treatment against Covid-19, if approved by country’s apex biomedical research institution the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). In this therapy blood plasma is extracted from people who have recovered from Covid19 and then injected into people who are suffering from the virus. The Gujarat government has made an application before ICMR on Sunday.
On April 12, ICMR had invited a letter of intent from institutions with the equipment and infrastructure available to participate in a clinical trial to study the safety and efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in COVID-19 patients and for using Convalescent plasma therapy-- subsequent to necessary approvals and clearances. "Institutions which are interested to collaborate with ICMR on undertaking this trial intervention, may express their interest by providing details of their institution," the ICMR proposal had read. The Gujarat government had made an application on Sunday and had even written to the central government earlier too. Kerala is among the first states to apply for the permissions for the therapy.
A senior state health official told TOI. "As per ICMR instructions, our primary objective of the plasma treatment is to assess the safety of convalescent plasma in treating Covid-19 affected patients. It is assumed that blood plasma from a cured patient will have antibodies against the virus and this can cure another patient."
The official also cited a research in a medical institution in Wuhan in China which found that plasma infused in 10 adult patients with severe Covid19 symptoms could notably increase or maintain neutralizing antibodies at a high level and patients had marked improvement in their Covid19 symptoms. "We are waiting for the ICMR approval in this case."
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