Blood Plasma Study For Covid - 19 Underway In Japan
A medical institution in Japan has announced initial results of a clinical study of a coronavirus treatment in which patients are given blood plasma taken from recovered people.
Dr. Kutsuna Satoshi of the National Center for Global Health and Medicine provided an update on the study at an online symposium with researchers and doctors from in and outside of Japan on Tuesday.
Convalescent blood plasma contains antibodies that could help infected people fight off the virus.
Kutsuna said 97 recovered patients donated their blood plasma, and it has been administered to six male patients in their 30s to 60s.
He said none of the participants is showing abnormalities.
He added that the center plans to infuse blood plasma to about 60 patients with moderate or more serious symptoms who have breathing difficulties to determine the treatment's safety and effectiveness.
Kutsuna said the immediate focus is to assess how safe the treatment is. He called for recovered patients to donate blood plasma to help experts advance their study.
The United States has approved the treatment as an emergency measure, but Japan has not.
