NIH trials reveal that convalescent plasma did not stop COVID-19 progression

A clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), US Department of Health and Human Services has revealed that convalescent plasma did not prevent disease progression in a high-risk group of COVID-19 outpatients when administered within the first week of their symptoms.

COVID-19 convalescent plasma, also known as “survivor’s plasma,” is blood plasma which is derived from patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

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Clifton Callaway, M.D., Ph.D., the contact principal investigator for the C3PO trial and professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh said, "We were hoping that the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma would achieve at least a 10% reduction in disease progression in this group, but instead the reduction we observed was less than 2 per cent".

He further added, "That was surprising to us. As physicians, we wanted this to make a big difference in reducing severe illness and it did not".

In September, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) conducted a similar trial and it was concluded that the therapy did not prevent progression to severe disease. Also, it did not reduce the number of deaths at 28-days of enrolment of the patient.