(Reuters) – The United States National Institute of Health (NIH) said on Tuesday that it had suspended a trial of convalescent blood plasma in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms as it was unlikely to benefit this group.
The NIH said its decision was based on the findings of an independent data monitoring board. (https://bit.ly/3rbOIdh)
The change in the health agency comes less than two months after an international convalescent plasma test was halted, as no benefit was found. Other studies conducted in India and Argentina have also found no apparent benefit for critically ill people.
The US study included 511 of 900 participants, who received blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients or a placebo.
A recent analysis did not indicate any significant difference in the proportion of patients who needed emergency treatment, had to be hospitalized or died within 15 days of entering the study, said the NIH.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)