In order to create conditions for optimal treatment of patients with COVID-19 infection with convalescent (blood) plasma, Dr. Ednan Drljevic, head of the isolation ward for the treatment of COVID-19 positive patients at the Public Institution General Hospital ” Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakas ”, and Dr. Mirza Begovic, Head of the Department of Transfusion Medicine in this health institution, visited the Institute of Transfusion Medicine of the Federation of BiH.
”At the meeting attended by the director of the Institute, Prim. Dr. Jasminka Kurilic discussed the possibilities of the Institute to provide the necessary amounts of convalescent plasma from whole blood or separated with the help of a cell separator (plasmapheresis) for the needs of treatment of these patients in the mentioned isolation ward,”Dr. Drljevic explained.
Also, she added that they expressed her readiness for the Institute to start collecting convalescent plasma from donated blood units, immediately after receiving approval from the competent institutions.
”Clinical studies in countries using anticovid plasma show that this plasma in patients who, in addition to regular therapy, can contribute to their recovery because their clinical status improves approximately one week after transfusion of this plasma. The data are certainly limited, ie still scientifically insufficient,” said Dr. Kurilic.
The expert commission of the Federal Ministry of Health is the institution that will give the final position to start collecting anticovid plasma from whole blood and /or the apheresis process, Avaz reports.
On August 23, 2020, FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 convalescent plasma for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. However, adequate and well-controlled randomized trials remain necessary for a definitive demonstration of COVID-19 convalescent plasma efficacy and to determine the optimal product attributes and appropriate patient populations for its use. Additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials. The ongoing clinical trials of investigational convalescent plasma should not be amended based on the issuance of the EUA; health care providers are encouraged to enroll patients in those trials.
