Plasma transfusions with high concentrations of COVID-19 antibodies have reduced deaths in some patients with the virus, according to a new study by Mayo Clinic researchers, which gives credibility to one of the few known treatments for the disease.
Early administration of high convalescent plasma against SARS-CoV-2 in slightly ill elderly adults reduced the progression of Covid-19, the researchers concluded.
The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, along with an editorial explaining how the treatment works, entitled “(A little) Clarity on convalescent plasma for Covid-19.”
“I think it is the duty of the medical community to continue to innovate and test therapies for treatment. Realistically, we are a few months away from vaccinating a substantial number of people, ”Dr. R. Scott Wright, coordinator of the COVID-19 plasma therapy program at the Mayo Clinic, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
Patients treated with antibody-rich plasma for the first three days of treatment saw better results, but the treatment was less effective for those who were treated longer and had to be put on ventilators, the researchers found.
Patients who were on the ventilator did not see a benefit, Dr. Wright told the Star-Tribune. “It was too late.”
The study looked at 3,082 patients and found a 25% lower chance of death in patients who received antibody-rich plasma.