A recently published study of 38 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Connecticut and Massachusetts has found that those who received infusions of coronavirus antibodies earlier in the course of their illness had a significantly higher survival rate than those who received the infusions at a later stage.
Trinity Health of New England was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration back in May to conduct the study of the treatment, which involves injecting “convalescent plasma” collected from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 into patients who are still battling the respiratory illness.
The overall hospital mortality among the study’s patients was 37%, but those who received the so-called convalescent plasma early in the disease course had a mortality rate of 13%, while those who received it later had a 55% mortality rate.Â
The FDA considers convalescent plasma to be an investigational treatment for COVID-19 and therefore in need of further evidence that it is safe and effective.
Trinity’s new study, published in the Infectious Diseases and Therapy Journal, add to a growing body of research.Â
“Our results suggest that convalescent plasma is safe and has the potential for positive impact on clinical outcomes including recovery and survival if given to patients early in the course of COVID-19,” said Dr. Latha Dulipsingh, chair of Trinity’s institutional review board and an investigator on the study.
