Toronto: A study found that people receiving therapy experienced more serious adverse events than those receiving standard care. Intubation is a procedure in which a tube is inserted into the trachea to make breathing easier.
The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, also found that the antibody profile in the blood of people who have been exposed to the virus is highly variable and can modify the response to treatment.
Convalescent plasma therapy uses the blood of people who have recovered from illness to help others recover.
“It has been thought that the blood plasma of COVID-19 survivors would help those seriously ill with the virus, but unfortunately this is not the case,” said the study’s co-principal investigator. Donald Arnold, a professor McMaster University in Canada.
“We are cautioning against using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 hospitalized patients unless they are in a closely monitored clinical trial,” Arnold said.
The research team also found that patients receiving convalescent plasma experienced significantly more serious adverse events than those receiving standard care.
Most of those incidents were due to an increased need for oxygen and worsening of respiratory failure, he said.
However, the rate of fatal events did not differ significantly from that of the control group of patients who did not receive blood.
The clinical trial, CONCOR-1, involved 940 patients from 72 hospitals in Canada, the US and Brazil.
The test found that convalescent plasma had highly variable donor antibody content due to a highly variable immune response to the virus.
Different antibody profiles were observed in convalescent plasma to have a significant effect on whether patients experienced intubation or death.
Adverse antibody profiles, meaning low antibody titers, non-functional antibodies or both, were associated with higher risk of intubation or death.
The study’s co-principal investigator said, “These findings may explain the apparent conflicting results between randomized trials with no benefit, and observational studies may show better results with high titre products relative to low titre products.” ” Jenny Callum, an associate scientist in Sunnybrook Research Institute in Canada.
“It appears that it may not be that high-titer convalescent plasma is helpful, but rather that low-titer convalescent plasma is harmful,” Callum said.
The researchers noted that damage could result from the transfusion of convalescent plasma containing poorly functioning antibodies.
“One hypothesis is that those neutralizing antibodies may compete with the patient’s own antibodies and inhibit the increased immune response,” said the study’s co-principal investigator. Philip Begin, an associate professor at the University of Montreal in Canada.
“This phenomenon has been previously observed in animal models and human studies of HIV vaccines,” Start said.
He said the CONCOR-1 investigators are looking forward to collaborating with other international study investigators to understand the potential risks and benefits of convalescent plasma.
“This information from Canada’s largest clinical trial on convalescent plasma and COVID-19 can be analyzed with the results of several similar studies going on around the world to provide more robust information and insights that will help the world.” level to guide clinical practice and health policy,” added Beginnings.
The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, also found that the antibody profile in the blood of people who have been exposed to the virus is highly variable and can modify the response to treatment.
Convalescent plasma therapy uses the blood of people who have recovered from illness to help others recover.
“It has been thought that the blood plasma of COVID-19 survivors would help those seriously ill with the virus, but unfortunately this is not the case,” said the study’s co-principal investigator. Donald Arnold, a professor McMaster University in Canada.
“We are cautioning against using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 hospitalized patients unless they are in a closely monitored clinical trial,” Arnold said.
The research team also found that patients receiving convalescent plasma experienced significantly more serious adverse events than those receiving standard care.
Most of those incidents were due to an increased need for oxygen and worsening of respiratory failure, he said.
However, the rate of fatal events did not differ significantly from that of the control group of patients who did not receive blood.
The clinical trial, CONCOR-1, involved 940 patients from 72 hospitals in Canada, the US and Brazil.
The test found that convalescent plasma had highly variable donor antibody content due to a highly variable immune response to the virus.
Different antibody profiles were observed in convalescent plasma to have a significant effect on whether patients experienced intubation or death.
Adverse antibody profiles, meaning low antibody titers, non-functional antibodies or both, were associated with higher risk of intubation or death.
The study’s co-principal investigator said, “These findings may explain the apparent conflicting results between randomized trials with no benefit, and observational studies may show better results with high titre products relative to low titre products.” ” Jenny Callum, an associate scientist in Sunnybrook Research Institute in Canada.
“It appears that it may not be that high-titer convalescent plasma is helpful, but rather that low-titer convalescent plasma is harmful,” Callum said.
The researchers noted that damage could result from the transfusion of convalescent plasma containing poorly functioning antibodies.
“One hypothesis is that those neutralizing antibodies may compete with the patient’s own antibodies and inhibit the increased immune response,” said the study’s co-principal investigator. Philip Begin, an associate professor at the University of Montreal in Canada.
“This phenomenon has been previously observed in animal models and human studies of HIV vaccines,” Start said.
He said the CONCOR-1 investigators are looking forward to collaborating with other international study investigators to understand the potential risks and benefits of convalescent plasma.
“This information from Canada’s largest clinical trial on convalescent plasma and COVID-19 can be analyzed with the results of several similar studies going on around the world to provide more robust information and insights that will help the world.” level to guide clinical practice and health policy,” added Beginnings.
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