Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said today that plasma therapy showed positive results on coronavirus patients in the capital. Four COVID-19 patients had plasma therapy treatment in Delhi's Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital in the last few weeks. The initial results are positive and encouraging, added Kejriwal reported by  livemint.com

The Delhi government received permission for limited trials on the seriously ill, and will seek permission next week to treat all such patients, Arvind Kejriwal said today.

 FDA has also issued guidance to provide recommendations to health care providers and investigators on the administration and study of investigational convalescent plasma collected from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19 (COVID-19 convalescent plasma) during the public health emergency.

The guidance provides recommendations on the following:

• pathways for use of investigational COVID-19 convalescent plasma
• patient eligibility
• collection of COVID-19 convalescent plasma, including donor eligibility and donor qualifications
• labeling, and
• record keeping

Because COVID-19 convalescent plasma has not yet been approved for use by FDA, it is regulated as an investigational product.  A health care provider must participate in one of the pathways described below.  FDA does not collect COVID-19 convalescent plasma or provide COVID-19 convalescent plasma.  Health care providers or acute care facilities would instead obtain COVID-19 convalescent plasma from an FDA-registered blood establishment.

What Is plasma therapy?

Plasma is the often forgotten part of blood. White blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets are important to body function. But plasma also plays a key role. This fluid carries the blood components throughout the body. During the actual blood donation process, your blood is drawn through a needle placed in a vein in one arm. A special machine separates the plasma and often the platelets from your blood sample. This process is called plasmapheresis. The remaining red blood cells and other blood components are then returned to your body, along with a little saline (salt) solution.

For plasma therapy, doctors need plasma from COVID-19 patients who have already recovered. The convalescent plasma therapy uses antibodies developed within an infected person while he/she is infected with the novel coronavirus. These antibodies are developed in a patient as part of the body's natural immune response to a foreign pathogen or in this case, the novel coronavirus. These antibodies are highly specific to the invading pathogen and so, work to eliminate the novel coronavirus from the patient's body. Once the patient has recovered, they donate their blood so that their antibodies can be used to treat other patients. 

Source: urmc.rochester.edu, FDA, Indiatoday