Plasma Therapy Dropped From Covid Management Guidelines, Health Ministry Issues Revised SOP

The decision was taken post a meeting of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Task Force for Covid-19 last week wherein all members called for removing the use of convalescent plasma from the guidelines while citing its ineffectiveness and inappropriate use in several cases.

Representative Photo: PTI

New Delhi: Revising the clinical guidance for Covid-19 treatment, the government on Monday dropped the off-label use of convalescent plasma as it was not found beneficial in decreasing the progression to severe disease or death.

The decision was taken post a meeting of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-National Task Force for Covid-19 last week wherein all members called for removing the use of convalescent plasma from the guidelines while citing its ineffectiveness and inappropriate use in several cases.

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The task force “revised” the Clinical Guidance for Management of Adult Covid-19 Patients and “dropped convalescent plasma (off label)”, an official at the ICMR said.

The previous guidelines recommended off-label use of plasma therapy at the stage of early moderate disease i.e. within seven days of the onset of symptoms and if there is availability of a high titre donor plasma.

This comes as some clinicians and scientists wrote to Principal Scientific Advisor K VijayRaghavan cautioning against the “irrational and non-scientific use” of convalescent plasma for Covid-19 in India.

Alleging that current guidelines on plasma therapy are not based on existing evidence, they pointed out some very early evidence that indicates a possible association between emergence of variants with lower susceptibility to neutralising antibodies in immunosuppressed people given plasma therapy.

They pointed out in the letter, also marked to ICMR chief Balram Bhargava and AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, that this raises the possibility of more virulent strains developing due to irrational use of plasma therapy, which can fuel the pandemic.

“We are writing to you as concerned clinicians, public health professionals and scientists from India about the irrational and non-scientific use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 in the country. This has stemmed from guidelines issued by government agencies, and we request your urgent intervention to address the issue which can prevent harassment of COVID-19 patients, their families, their clinicians and COVID-19 survivors,” PTI quoted the letter as saying.

“The current research evidence unanimously indicates that there is no benefit offered by convalescent plasma for treatment of COVID-19. However, it continues to be prescribed rampantly in hospitals across India,” added the letter signed by vaccinologist Gagandeep Kang and surgeon Pramesh C S besides others.