In a development with huge implications concerning the treatment on Covid-19, The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has made a big statement about plasma therapy. The ICMR stated that it is considering removing plasma therapy from the protocol of National Health Clinical. It has made various studies and have previously stated that plasma therapy is not very effective at reducing mortality. ICMR has questioned plasma therapy many a times before. Of late, it said that instead of plasma therapy in the treatment of corona, antisera can now be used as an alternative. The ICMR claimed to have developed a highly purified antisera using animal blood serum for the treatment of corona.
According to the Scientist of the ICMR Dr. Lokesh Sharma, antisera is blood serum from animals, which contains antibodies against specific antigens. They are used in the treatment of certain diseases. Plasma therapy was discussed during the Corona crisis. Plasma taken from the body of patients who have been recovered from coronavirus is put in the body of active corona patients, which creates antibodies to fight the corona in that patient’s body. Plasma therapy is widely being exercised in many other countries of the world to treat the Covid-19 patients. Apart from India, it is being used in many countries including America, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Turkey and China.
In April, the Union government had expressed opinion that convalescent plasma therapy can create life-threatening implications in a Covid-19 patient and is still experimental. Joint Secretary in Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Lav Agarwal, had gone to the extent of saying that the use of this therapy is illegal unless the medical facility administering it is part of a study being conducted by the ICMR.
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