Convalescent plasma as adjunctive therapy for hospitalized patients with COVID-20

Adjunctive therapy is a treatment used to support the main or primary treatment of diseases. As definite therapy for COVID-19 is still lacking, this project evaluated the efficacy and safety of convalescent plasma transfusion as adjunctive therapy to prevent disease progression among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Convalescent plasma is taken from the blood of patients who recovered from infection and contains neutralizing antibodies against it. Aside from potentially developing locally-produced convalescent plasma which may be used as part of the COVID-19 treatment regimen, the project, led by also aims to strengthen the capacities of healthcare professionals in its clinical use, not only for COVID-19, but also for other emerging infections in the future. In 2020, a total of 328 convalescent plasma units were collected from the donors, of which 28 units were transferred to patients for the trial. A total of 21 patients were enrolled in the study. A collaboration was made with Stanford University and University of Basel in Switzerland for a apid meta-analysis on the effect of convalescent plasma on mortality in COVID-19. The Co-CLARITY trial (shorthand title used for the study) joined in and have contributed data in the meta-analysis. The paper is completed and the submission to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is ongoing. The project is led by Dr. Deonne Thaddeus V. Gauiran of UP-PGH.