Coronavirus: therapeutic plasma, a hope for treating Covid-19

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Among the avenues studied to treat Covid-19, therapeutic plasma is one that promises to be promising. This is what the results of a Chinese study that have just been published seem to indicate.

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This is called a pilot study. It does not allow to conclude if a treatment is effective, but indicates if research deserves to be carried out. The results obtained by this Chinese team are promising in this respect.

Ten patients with severe Covid-19 have received plasma from people who have recently overcome the disease. Plasma, a liquid component of blood, has a therapeutic interest because it transports antibodies in particular. Coronavirus patients are now armed to fight the disease. They have specific antibodies. The idea is therefore to give these weapons to sick people.

A strategy that seems to be working

The results of this pilot study show that this strategy seems to be good. After three days of transfusion, clinical symptoms, such as fever, cough or breathing difficulties had greatly improved. Even better, after seven days, the lung damage caused by the virus had started to subside.

With only 10 patients, the authors note that this study must be confirmed by others of larger scale. This is good: a clinical trial on the subject has just been launched this Tuesday in France. This time, 60 patients are participating.

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