While India struggles to cope with the growing number of COVID cases and deaths, people were willing to explore every possible treatment option and plasma therapy was deemed one of the most preferred treatment options. Even the government-appointed task force on COVID-19 had allowed plasma therapy as "off label treatment." But that changes now.
In consultation with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS New Delhi, and others, the National COVID Task Force revised the clinical guidelines regarding use of convalescent plasma therapy in the management of adult COVID patients. The plasma therapy is no longer in the centre's list of recommended options of treatment for COVID.
Plasma therapy ineffective
In India, plasma therapy was allowed as "off label" use, but only at the onset of the infection when there are mild symptoms, which is within seven days of infection and if there's the availability of high titer donor plasma. After a meeting last week, all members of the task force agreed to remove use of plasma therapy from the treatment guidelines.
Since plasma therapy was popularly used in COVID patients to prevent progression of the disease from moderate to severe. But as more research was carried, there has been no evidence found to prove the procedure's effectiveness on COVID patients. Hence, it was unanimously decided to remove plasma therapy as recommended treatment options for COVID patients in India.
