Saturday, September 26, 2020

Plasma therapy can check hypoxia in Covid patients

The Centre of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Bengal government’s randomized control trial on use of convalescent plasma therapy in severe Covid-19 patients has shown an immediate reduction in hypoxia (oxygen deprivation) as compared to patients on standard therapy. The findings also indicate an anti-inflammatory role of the therapy.

The study is, however, different in scope from the one conducted recently by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), which suggested that plasma therapy does not have an effective role in either preventing the progression of the disease or in reducing mortality. While the ICMR study examined the efficacy of plasma therapy, the one by CSIR and Bengal goes into the immunological impact. It is the first such scientific study in India.

“This study is much wider. Here we are not only looking at the efficacy of plasma therapy but why plasma is working on some patients and why it is not on some others,” said Yogiraj Ray, infectious diseases specialist and clinical investigator of the trial at the Beliaghata ID Hospital.

In a pre-print paper yet to be reviewed by peers, the researchers in Kolkata have also said that while administering of plasma led to an immediate reduction in hypoxia, the effect wore off in some patients from the third day onwards after a second dose, indicating that a sustained benefit may require additional transfusions.

“Some patients might need more plasma units in order to sustain the benefit they got immediately after the first transfusion,” said Dipyaman Ganguly, principal investigator and an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology.

The team also analysed 48 cytokines, which are a group of proteins secreted by specific cells of the immune system. Many severely infected Covid patients undergo cytokine storm or an aggressive inflammatory response to the virus. “We have also noticed calming down of cytokine storm after the plasma therapy,” said Ganguly.

The study, which involves doctors from the ID Hospital, Medical College, School of Tropical Medicine and scientist from the CSIR, is just halfway through. Sandip Paul, scientist at CSIR, was instrumental in analysing the data and conducting computational studies on it. The Drugs Control General of India (DCGI) gave its nod for the trial in May this year.

“We hope it is peer-reviewed and approved. We are thankful to all plasma donors who are contributing to making this study possible,” said Prasun Bhattacharya, head of immuno-haematology and blood transfusion department at Medical College Hospital.

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