Bryan Health using plasma treatment option for COVID-19 patients

Bryan Health is participating in an expanded access program for a new treatment option for COVID-19 patients. 

Bryan Health is participating in an expanded access program for a new treatment option for COVID-19 patients.

Convalescent plasma treatment involves taking plasma from people who have recovered from the coronavirus and using it to treat others. The treatment has been used for decades as a way to combat other diseases, including Ebola.

Dr. Aina Silenieks, a Bryan Health pathologist, said the treatment has started to gain momentum after it was noted in some Chinese studies as being safe and potentially beneficial for COVID-19 patients.

The treatment is being regulated as an investigatory product, and is not yet FDA-approved, Silenieks said.

So far, Bryan Health has used the treatment on three COVID-19 patients. All three began treatment within the last week.

Silenieks said it is hard to tell how successful the treatment has been, as it can take up to a week to see the full results. It could be a year or more before results are published in medical journals, she said.

Participation is limited because the treatment is being reserved for people with severe or life-threatening symptoms or those at risk of progressing to such symptoms. It also requires a recovered COVID-19 patient who is willing to donate their blood.

Silenieks said there are “no guarantees” with the treatment, and that research so far has been very modest. The treatment needs to be administered quickly – within 10 days of diagnosis – in order to see full results, she said.

The Mayo Clinic was named a national site for the expanded access program, and Bryan Health became a registered participant on April 6.

Because COVID-19 is so new, there is no vaccine, no antibodies, and no specific drugs available for treatment at this time, Silenieks said.