Governor calls for continued research in plasma therapy for COVID patients

Hyderabad, May 17: Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan on Monday called for more intensive and continued research on plasma therapy for COVID patients to explore its benefits, efficacy, and side effects, if any.

She said that further studies will throw more light whether the use of plasma for therapeutic purposes to treat the COVID-19 patients is beneficial or not.

Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan, who is also holding an additional charge as the Lt. Governor of Puducherry, virtually took part in a high level discussion with Panel of Experts from JIPMER, Puducherry, ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Puducherry, and MCRC, Trichy.

During the interaction, the Governor listened to the different versions of the experts on the use of plasma therapy to the COVID patients.

Experts from the JIPMER pointed out that there was not much recovery difference between the patients who took the plasma therapy and those without plasma therapy.

As the new central protocols called for the discontinuation of the plasma therapy to the COVID patients temporarily, the panel of experts said that it was better to discontinue using it as a protocol treatment for now.

However, intensive research into the advantages and disadvantages of the use of plasma for therapeutic use among the COVID patients may be continued to explore its efficacy or non-efficacy in saving lives.

The Governor stated that whatever is most beneficial to the patients, we need to explore, adhere and keep on updating our research to come out with better treatment options in future.

ESIC experts and other panellists pointed out that convalescent plasma, if administered early to the patients like within 72 hours or 7 days of infection and those with high titers of antibodies proved effective in some earlier cases.

Suggesting the use of plasma early in treatment for all the COVID patients is not recommended as it involves huge logistics and create chances of exploitation by the private hospitals, the experts pointed out.