Pune: District officials say there’s now surplus blood plasma

PUNE: There has been a drastic drop in the demand for convalescent plasma in Pune district. Officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the district now has 205 units to spare — a first since plasma therapy was introduced to treat Covid-19 patients.
Suresh Patil, the joint commissioner of the FDA, Pune division, said, “Till September, the district had a shortage of convalescent plasma.Units were selling fast and blood banks were struggling to find donors. The banks continued to stock up because many were expecting a second wave.”
Patil added that 3,683 people, who recovered from Covid, went on to donate blood plasma in the district. Officials were able to harvest around 7,412 units of from them. “We now have 205 units available. In September stock was usually at nil or in the double digits,” he said.
Patil said blood plasma can be stored for a year in -18°C temperature. Those infected in May or June can no longer donate plasma as antibodies in their blood may have reduced, he said. “These 205 units were accumulated after September. But the number of new cases has been dropping drastically, including hospitalisations that’ll need plasma. Blood banks have now said there’s no need for donors. Storage of these units will run up additional costs,” Patil said.
Doctors said they have reduced reliance on plasma therapy. “It has not been a standard therapy for Covid-19. There’s little scientific evidence on its effectiveness,” said Sanjay Lalwani, medical director of Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical Hospital and Research Center.