Donald Trump was to announce on Sunday evening the emergency authorization of the transfusion of blood plasma from people cured of the coronavirus to hospitalized patients - a treatment already widely used in the United States - several American media reported on Sunday. Just minutes before the start of the press conference of the American president, scheduled for 5:30 p.m., the American drug agency (FDA) anticipated the head of state and announced the emergency authorization.
Transfusion of this plasma, which contains antibodies, is intended to enable patients to eliminate the virus more quickly and to limit damage to the body. While the treatment has already produced results, its exact effectiveness is still debated and there is a risk of side effects and transmission of infectious agents.
" Plasma from convalescing people probably works, although this should be confirmed by clinical trials, but not as emergency treatment for seriously ill patients ," warns Dr Len Horovitz, Resident Respirator at Lenox Hospital Hill in New York. According to him, it would be more effective if it was administered at the very first signs of the disease, which is not the case today.
No formal proof of effectiveness
In its announcement Sunday, the FDA recalled that there was no formal proof that the use of plasma was effective at this time.
In a tweet announcing the US President's press conference late Sunday afternoon, Donald Trump's spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany spoke of Donald Trump's announcement of a " major therapeutic breakthrough " .
But the FDA already authorized the transfusion of plasma from people recovered from the coronavirus under certain conditions, as part of clinical trials or for patients in desperate circumstances.
More than 70,000 patients have already received a transfusion of plasma taken from convalescent people, according to the US Minister of Health, Alex Azar. The authorization issued on Sunday will make it possible to expand the population of patients likely to receive a transfusion.