Trials of Plasma From Recovered Covid-19 Patients Have Begun
https://www.wired.com/story/trials-of-plasma-from-recovered-covid-19-patients-have-begun/
US Food and Drug Administration officials announced today they have approved plans for nationwide trials of two treatments for Covid-19, the global pandemic disease caused by the new coronavirus—and for their simultaneous use in perhaps hundreds of hospitals.
The therapeutic agents—convalescent plasma and hyperimmune globulin—are both derived from the blood of people who have recovered from the disease, decoctions of the antibodies that the human immune system makes to fight off germs. “This is an important area of research—the use of products made from a recovered patient’s blood to potentially treat Covid-19,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn in a release announcing the trials. “The FDA had played a key role in organizing a partnership between industry, academic institutions, and government agencies to facilitate expanded access to convalescent plasma. This is certainly a great example of how we can all come together to take swift action to help the American people during a crisis.”