‘Plasma therapy doesn’t cut mortality risk’

New Delhi: The results of the trial conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to assess the benefits of convalescent plasma therapy in Covid-19 patients are out and they indicate the therapy does not reduce death risk.

The therapy – touted by some as a magic bullet against the disease with no known cure as yet – also did not reduce the progression to severe disease in patients who received the therapy, the ICMR study has concluded.

It involved 464 Covid-19 patients admitted to 39 tertiary care hospitals across the country.

According to the study, released on MedRXIV, 235 participants received the plasma therapy in addition to standard treatment while 229 others were treated with standard therapies.

All of them were hospitalised, moderately-ill Covid-19 patients, the researchers said.

“Mortality was documented in 34 (13.6%) and 31 (14.6%) participants in intervention and control arm respectively after 28 days post-enrolment,” they added.