FDA Adds Plasma as 2nd COVID-19 Treatment Under Emergency Guidelines

The FDA has authorized the use of plasma from people who have recovered from infection by the novel coronavirus as a treatment for hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a move widely perceived as influenced by political pressure given the lack of clear evidence of clinical benefit.

Treating patients with plasma—the water, salts, and proteins that make up the liquid part of blood in which blood cells and platelets are suspended—from those who have recovered from the infection is an approach that has been previously used to treat cases of other viral illnesses, including Ebola. The idea is that the antibodies generated by people... Read more »

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