With only a handful of treatment options available for COVID-19, health systems are aligning towards older strategies, like convalescent plasma. The therapy includes using blood from people who have recovered from COVID-19. This study aims to examine the efficacy of convalescent plasma in the treatment of COVID-19.
This open-label, multicenter, parallel-arm, randomized control trial included a total of 464 adults with confirmed moderate COVID-19. Of the 464 participants, 235 were assigned to convalescent plasma and 229 to the best standard care (control group). The primary outcome of the study was a composite of the progression to severe disease or all-cause mortality 28 days after the treatment.
The findings suggested that progression to severe disease or all-cause mortality within 29 days was reported in 44 participants (19%) in the intervention group and 41 (18%) patients in the control group. The risk difference was 0.008, and the confidence interval was 95%. The risk ratio was found to be 1.04 for disease progression and all-cause mortality combined, with the range being 0.71-1.54 with a 95% confidence interval.
The research concluded that convalescent plasma therapy was not associated with a statistically significant reduction in disease progression or all-cause mortality in adults in moderate COVID-19.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3939
