The Food and Drug Administration will allow doctors to use blood donated by coronavirus survivors to treat critically-ill patients. Doctors can request permission to use the treatment, known as convalescent plasma, and they will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Health officials in China and New York believe that the treatment, which involves harvesting virus-fighting antibodies from the blood of recovered patients, could be used to combat the deadly virus at the center of a global pandemic. The technique has been around for centuries and was used during the 1918 flu pandemic.
While the FDA cautions the treatment has not been proven effective for COVID-19, they are urging researchers to continue to study its potential uses. The agency said they will only approve the experimental treatment for patients who are in critical condition.
“Although promising, convalescent plasma has not been shown to be effective in every disease studied,” the FDA announcement said. “It is therefore important to determine through clinical trials, before routinely administering convalescent plasma to patients with COVID-19, that it is safe and effective to do so.”
If the treatment does prove effective, experts have suggested it could be used proactively to give healthcare workers protection from the virus.
To keep up to date on the latest news about the coronavirus and to understand what you need to stay safe and healthy, check out the Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction podcast from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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