COVID SCIENCE UPDATE

Jury still out on benefits of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients

Pooled data from 19 studies involving more than 36,000 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients has yielded no definitive answer to whether infusions of blood plasma from people who have recovered from the disease is clinically beneficial, an expert panel reported.

They searched medical databases to find studies testing the effectiveness of so-called convalescent plasma.

"We are uncertain" whether convalescent plasma reduces deaths in hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and it makes "little to no difference" in patients' symptoms such as need for breathing support within a week after receiving the treatment, researchers said in the report compiled for The Cochrane Library.

After more time has elapsed, they said, an effect might become evident. In all cases, the reliability of the studies was "uncertain," and there was limited information about serious side effects of the treatment.

They noted that more than 130 studies of convalescent plasma therapy were ongoing. "We will continue to update this review," they said. -- Reuters