Indian Council for Medical Research Gives Approval to Convalescent Plasma Therapy

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Indian Council for Medical research (ICMR) the top authorising body in India has given approval to the SCTIMST for carrying out the novel treatment. The treatment aims at using the immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person .Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) has obtained a go-ahead for taking a bold step to provide innovative treatment to patients suffering from COVID-19 disease.

Technically called “convalescent-plasma therapy”, the treatment aims at using the immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person. Indian council for medical research (ICMR) the top authorising body in India has given approval to the SCTIMST for carrying out the novel treatment. “We have applied for age cut off to the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for permissions for relaxation of the norms for blood donation,” said Dr Asha Kishore Director, SCTIMST.


How the treatment is given?: Blood is drawn from a person who has recovered from COVID-19 sickness. The serum is separated and screened for virus-neutralizing antibodies. Convalescent serum, that is the blood serum obtained from one who has recovered from an infectious disease and especially rich in antibodies for that pathogen, is then administered to a COVID-19 patient. The sick acquires passive immunisation. “Potential donor would be examined before the blood serum is extracted and given to a sick person. First, the swab test must be negative and the potential donor has to be declared as cured. Then the recovered person has to wait for two weeks. Or else the potential donor should be asymptomatic for at least 28 days. Either of the two is mandatory” said Dr Kishore while speaking with India Science Wire.

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