Key TakeawaysThe National Institutes of Health (NIH) has stopped a clinical trial investigating the use of convalescent plasma, citing no benefit as a COVID-19 treatment.Experts say that the COVID-19 vaccines are a better option for providing immunity.While it’s no longer a research priority, there are studies still looking at convalescent plasma’s potential as a tool to fight the new COVID-19 variants.

Key Takeaways

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has stopped a clinical trial investigating the use of convalescent plasma, citing no benefit as a COVID-19 treatment.Experts say that the COVID-19 vaccines are a better option for providing immunity.While it’s no longer a research priority, there are studies still looking at convalescent plasma’s potential as a tool to fight the new COVID-19 variants.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has stopped a clinical trial that was studying the use of convalescent plasma as a treatment for patients withmild to moderate COVID-19symptoms.

The decision came after an independent data and safety monitoring board found that the convalescent plasma showed no benefit to people with COVID-19 illness.

The Hope for Convalescent Plasma

In August 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for convalescent plasma therapy for patients with COVID-19. In February 2021, it announced a revision that limited convalescent plasma’s use to hospitalized COVID patients who are early in the disease progression.

How is Early-Stage COVID Treated?

William Lang, MD, medical director of WorldClinic and JobSitecare as well as a former White House physician, tells Verywell that the decision does not mean that people have stopped studying convalescent plasma. It just means that government funding can now be allocated to more prioritized treatments instead, such asCOVID-19 vaccine research.

How Does Convalescent Plasma Therapy Work?According to Lang, convalescent plasma is the oldest immune therapy, dating back to the early 20th century. It comes from people who have antibodies in their blood serum either fromvaccination or natural infection.Scientists take donated blood with antibodies and separate the blood cells, leaving a serum that contains only the antibodies. The convalescent plasma can then be transferred to an infected person to boost their immune system and speed their recovery.

How Does Convalescent Plasma Therapy Work?

According to Lang, convalescent plasma is the oldest immune therapy, dating back to the early 20th century. It comes from people who have antibodies in their blood serum either fromvaccination or natural infection.Scientists take donated blood with antibodies and separate the blood cells, leaving a serum that contains only the antibodies. The convalescent plasma can then be transferred to an infected person to boost their immune system and speed their recovery.

According to Lang, convalescent plasma is the oldest immune therapy, dating back to the early 20th century. It comes from people who have antibodies in their blood serum either fromvaccination or natural infection.

Scientists take donated blood with antibodies and separate the blood cells, leaving a serum that contains only the antibodies. The convalescent plasma can then be transferred to an infected person to boost their immune system and speed their recovery.

Convalescent Plasma & COVID-19

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, there was limited information on the virus that first emerged in Wuhan, China. Therefore, there were not many treatments for people infected with COVID-19. Given convalescent plasma’s history with delivering antibodies, it was touted as a potential therapy for giving passive immunity.

“Convalescent plasma provides passive immunity, meaning your body doesn’t have to do anything—someone else’s antibodies are injected, and they work until they naturally degrade,” Lang says. “With most antibodies, this is roughly a 90-day degradation period. No innate immunity is developed.”

Earlier studies had suggested potential promise for using convalescent plasma as a treatment for hospitalized patients:

Case Report: COVID-19 Patient Recovers After Receiving Donated Plasma

However, evidence from more recent research suggests there is limited benefit to giving COVID-19 patients convalescent plasma treatment.

Why the NIH Trial Was Stopped

The Clinical Trial of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma of Outpatients had enrolled 511 patients from 47 hospital emergency departments before the NIH stopped the study. The goal was to investigate the effectiveness of convalescent plasma with antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 in adults who presented to the emergency department after less than a week of experiencingmild to moderate symptoms.

All enrolled patients also hada risk factorsuch as obesity or chronic lung disease that made them more likely to experience severe COVID-19 infection.

The researchers followed the patients who received donated plasma for 15 days after they were enrolled in the trial. They looked at whether the patients needed further medical care, were admitted to the hospital, or died within that time.

Before the trial was halted, the researchers had found that convalescent plasma made no difference to patient care. The NIH stated that it was doubtful the results would have been altered if the trial had more patients enrolled.

The bottom line? It’s not that there are any safety issues with convalescent plasma, it’s just that it does not offer patients enough benefit to justify more research when there are other areas that need those resources more.

Focusing Efforts on Other Treatments & Vaccines

The interest in convalescent plasma has not totally evaporated in the absence of an NIH trial.

“Depending on where you live, there may still be ongoing studies," Lang says. “But there is no longer any mass need for convalescent plasma for COVID treatment approaches.”

Given the emergence ofCOVID-19 variantsandnew research findings, it would be premature to rule out convalescent plasma therapy completely. Plus, there is still a need for convalescent plasma donations.

Red Cross: Blood and Plasma Donations Crucial to COVID-19 Fight

Other treatments such as monoclonal antibodies andvaccinescould prove better options. Lang says that studies onmonoclonal antibodiesare still ongoing but look promising so far.

COVID-19 Treatments: What You Need to Know

That said, researchers haven’t given up on convalescent plasma—it’s just on the back burner for now. “Importantly, there are still some studies going on as there could be unrecognized benefits to this approach to antibody therapy," Lang says. “But the main federal government funding institutions have determined that research funding would be better spent in more promising areas.”

What This Means For YouResearch has shown that there is no significant benefit to using convalescent plasma in patients with COVID-19. Rather, the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective way to prevent severe infection and reduce the risk of death from the virus.However, there is always an unmet need forblood and plasma donation. Contact your local blood bank to find out how you can help.

What This Means For You

Research has shown that there is no significant benefit to using convalescent plasma in patients with COVID-19. Rather, the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective way to prevent severe infection and reduce the risk of death from the virus.However, there is always an unmet need forblood and plasma donation. Contact your local blood bank to find out how you can help.

Research has shown that there is no significant benefit to using convalescent plasma in patients with COVID-19. Rather, the currently approved COVID-19 vaccines are the most effective way to prevent severe infection and reduce the risk of death from the virus.

However, there is always an unmet need forblood and plasma donation. Contact your local blood bank to find out how you can help.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health (NIH).NIH halts trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in emergency department patients with mild symptoms.U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA in brief: FDA updates emergency use authorization for COVID-19 convalescent plasma to reflect new data.Mucha SR, Quraishy N.Convalescent plasma for COVID-19: Promising, not proven.Cleve Clin J Med. 2020;87(11):664-670. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc056Chen L, Xiong J, Bao L, Shi Y.Convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for COVID-19.Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(4):398-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30141-9Joyner MJ, Bruno KA, Klassen SA, et al.Safety update: COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 20,000 hospitalized patients.Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;95(9):1888-1897. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.06.028Liu STH, Lin H-M, Baine I, et al.Convalescent plasma treatment of severe COVID-19: a propensity score-matched control study.Nat Med. 2020;26(11):1708-1713. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1088-9Agarwal A, Mukherjee A, Kumar G, Chatterjee P, Bhatnagar T, Malhotra P.Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (Placid trial). BMJ. 2020;371:m3939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3939Simonovich VA, Burgos Pratx LD, Scibona P, et al.A randomized trial of convalescent plasma in covid-19 severe pneumonia.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(7):619-629. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2031304

8 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Institutes of Health (NIH).NIH halts trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in emergency department patients with mild symptoms.U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA in brief: FDA updates emergency use authorization for COVID-19 convalescent plasma to reflect new data.Mucha SR, Quraishy N.Convalescent plasma for COVID-19: Promising, not proven.Cleve Clin J Med. 2020;87(11):664-670. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc056Chen L, Xiong J, Bao L, Shi Y.Convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for COVID-19.Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(4):398-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30141-9Joyner MJ, Bruno KA, Klassen SA, et al.Safety update: COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 20,000 hospitalized patients.Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;95(9):1888-1897. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.06.028Liu STH, Lin H-M, Baine I, et al.Convalescent plasma treatment of severe COVID-19: a propensity score-matched control study.Nat Med. 2020;26(11):1708-1713. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1088-9Agarwal A, Mukherjee A, Kumar G, Chatterjee P, Bhatnagar T, Malhotra P.Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (Placid trial). BMJ. 2020;371:m3939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3939Simonovich VA, Burgos Pratx LD, Scibona P, et al.A randomized trial of convalescent plasma in covid-19 severe pneumonia.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(7):619-629. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2031304

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Institutes of Health (NIH).NIH halts trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in emergency department patients with mild symptoms.U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA in brief: FDA updates emergency use authorization for COVID-19 convalescent plasma to reflect new data.Mucha SR, Quraishy N.Convalescent plasma for COVID-19: Promising, not proven.Cleve Clin J Med. 2020;87(11):664-670. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc056Chen L, Xiong J, Bao L, Shi Y.Convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for COVID-19.Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(4):398-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30141-9Joyner MJ, Bruno KA, Klassen SA, et al.Safety update: COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 20,000 hospitalized patients.Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;95(9):1888-1897. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.06.028Liu STH, Lin H-M, Baine I, et al.Convalescent plasma treatment of severe COVID-19: a propensity score-matched control study.Nat Med. 2020;26(11):1708-1713. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1088-9Agarwal A, Mukherjee A, Kumar G, Chatterjee P, Bhatnagar T, Malhotra P.Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (Placid trial). BMJ. 2020;371:m3939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3939Simonovich VA, Burgos Pratx LD, Scibona P, et al.A randomized trial of convalescent plasma in covid-19 severe pneumonia.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(7):619-629. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2031304

National Institutes of Health (NIH).NIH halts trial of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in emergency department patients with mild symptoms.

U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).FDA in brief: FDA updates emergency use authorization for COVID-19 convalescent plasma to reflect new data.

Mucha SR, Quraishy N.Convalescent plasma for COVID-19: Promising, not proven.Cleve Clin J Med. 2020;87(11):664-670. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc056

Chen L, Xiong J, Bao L, Shi Y.Convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for COVID-19.Lancet Infect Dis. 2020;20(4):398-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30141-9

Joyner MJ, Bruno KA, Klassen SA, et al.Safety update: COVID-19 convalescent plasma in 20,000 hospitalized patients.Mayo Clin Proc. 2020;95(9):1888-1897. doi: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2020.06.028

Liu STH, Lin H-M, Baine I, et al.Convalescent plasma treatment of severe COVID-19: a propensity score-matched control study.Nat Med. 2020;26(11):1708-1713. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-1088-9

Agarwal A, Mukherjee A, Kumar G, Chatterjee P, Bhatnagar T, Malhotra P.Convalescent plasma in the management of moderate covid-19 in adults in India: open label phase II multicentre randomised controlled trial (Placid trial). BMJ. 2020;371:m3939. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m3939

Simonovich VA, Burgos Pratx LD, Scibona P, et al.A randomized trial of convalescent plasma in covid-19 severe pneumonia.N Engl J Med. 2021;384(7):619-629. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2031304

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