Posted on 09/09/2021 11:53:44 AM PDT by Red Badger
A major study has found that convalescent plasma does not reduce the risk of intubation or death for COVID-19 patients. However, the study also revealed that the antibody profile in the blood of people who have had the virus is extremely variable and this may modify the response to the treatment.
"It has been thought that the blood plasma of COVID-19 survivors would help those seriously ill from the virus but, unfortunately, it does not," said Donald Arnold, co-principal investigator of the study, hematologist and professor of medicine at McMaster University.
"We are cautioning against using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 hospitalized patients, unless they are in a closely-monitored clinical trial."
Results of the study were published in the journal Nature Medicine today.
The Canadian-led international research team also found that patients receiving convalescent plasma experienced significantly more serious adverse events than those receiving standard care. The majority of those events were an increased need for oxygen and worsening respiratory failure. However, the rate of fatal incidents was not significantly different from the control group of patients who did not receive the blood.
The clinical trial, called CONCOR-1, stopped enrolment early in January 2021 after its independent data safety monitoring committee recommended the study was unlikely to demonstrate a benefit of convalescent plasma even if more patients were enrolled. The trial included 940 patients at 72 hospitals in Canada, the United States, and Brazil. The U.S. team was coordinated by Weill Cornell Medicine.
A secondary discovery was that convalescent plasma had highly variable donor antibody content due to the highly variable immunological response to the virus. Different antibody profiles in the convalescent plasma were observed to significantly impact whether or not patients experienced intubation or death. Unfavorable antibody profiles, meaning low antibody titres, non-functional antibodies or both, was associated with a higher risk of intubation or death.
"These findings may explain the apparent conflicting results between randomized trials showing no benefit, and observational studies showing better outcomes with higher titre products relative to low titre products," said Jeannie Callum, co-principal investigator, associate scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, and professor at Queen's University and the University of Toronto.
"It appears that it may not be that high-titre convalescent plasma is helpful, but rather that low-titre convalescent plasma is harmful."
Co-principal investigator Philippe Bégin said that the harm may come from the transfusion of convalescent plasma containing poorly functioning antibodies.
"One hypothesis is that those dysfunctional antibodies could compete with the patient's own antibodies and could disrupt the mounting immune response. This phenomenon has been observed previously in animal models and in human studies of HIV vaccines."
Bégin is a clinician scientist of CHUM and CHU Sainte-Justine and an associate professor of the University of Montréal.
He added that the CONCOR-1 investigators are expecting to collaborate with other international study investigators to understand potential risks and benefits of convalescent plasma.
"This information from Canada's largest clinical trial on convalescent plasma and COVID-19 may be analyzed together with the results of several similar studies going on in the world to provide more robust information and insight that will guide clinical practice and health policy globally," Bégin said.
CONCOR-1 was an open-label randomized controlled trial of convalescent plasma or standard of care for hospitalized adults with acute COVID-19 respiratory illness. The study excluded COVID-19 patients who did not need to be in the hospital, and COVID-19 hospital patients who needed intubation at the time they were admitted to the hospital.
Explore further
Study shows no significant benefit of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 outpatients with early symptoms
More information: Philippe Bégin et al, Convalescent plasma for hospitalized patients with COVID-19: an open-label, randomized controlled trial, Nature Medicine (2021).
DOI: 10.1038/s41591-021-01488-2
Journal information: Nature Medicine
Provided by McMaster University
Sounds like more lies from the healthcare community.
My local blood bank stopped taking convalescent plasma months ago and are even turning away people who have had the vaccine or recovered from COVID for plasma and platelet donations due to the risks to those who receive those components.
Interesting.
Going in next week to get bled for this. We will see what the ladies say
I’m glad that controlled studies such as this are being done. I just wish it was somewhat larger.
IIRC plasma from post infected people works but the plasma from vaccinated people is harmful.
This report is CYA.
“… Going in next week to get bled for this. We will see what the ladies say”
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Will they give you your titer levels?
SOS.
Wait until somebody is on death’s doorstep then try the treatment and when the patient dies say it doesn’t work.
Early in the pandemic, one of the locl hospitals was using convalescent plasma to significant benefit for its patients. This has now been replaced by monoclonal antibody infusions. The cited study emphasizes that the level of antibodies in the plasma makes a big difference in the success of the plasma treatment, as common sense would predict.
The minimal efficacy of CP against COVID has been reported for 15 months or more. This just confirms what others have been saying for a long time.
I think Floridians would beg to differ. The number of dead has gone down dramatically coinciding with opening-up antibody treatment centers while the numbers infected are still very high.
So, perhaps the most recent recovery patient plasma would have the more active antibodies, than those who recovered from covid a year ago ?
Which I believe is bogus. .....................
I’m my experience both remdesivir and convalescent plasma is worthless
That’s monoclonal therapy. Not convalescent plasma. Monoclonals work extremely well
The Red Cross said they wouldn’t take blood from the vaxxed but then quickly backtracked.
Bottom line, we know nothing about this monster other than it’s not going away anytime soon.
Sure helped the guy I know of. Dr. told family he wasn’t sure if he’d make it, but found a donor match. Moved out of ICU the next day, went home feeling good the day after.
No there is a role for prevention and treatment. and the FLCCC agrees
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