Punjab Govt gets ICMR's nod to undertake clinical trials for Plasma therapy

Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has given its approval to the Punjab govt to go ahead with the clinical trials of convalescent Plasma Therapy for COVID-19 patients. The Punjab govt had sent a formal proposal to the ICMR for approval.

New Delhi: Punjab Govt has received the nod from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) to undertake clinical trials for convalescent Plasma Therapy on COVID-19 patients.

Technically called "convalescent-plasma therapy", the treatment aims at using the immune power gained by a recovered person to treat a sick person. As part of the therapy, antibodies from a recovered patient are harvested and ingested into a sick person to help the latter's immune system mount a fight against the pathogen.

It may be recalled that Captain Amarinder had allowed the use of this therapy when ACP Kohli inflicted with coronavirus and admitted in SPS Hospital Ludhiana. The state govt had provided all support and former Director PGIMER, Chandigarh Prof. Dr K.K. Talwar, had organised the requisite professional guidance but ACP Kohli's condition deteriorated before the therapy could be tried out. The matter was, however, pursued and a formal proposal sent to ICMR for formal approval.

Additional Chief Secretary Governance Reforms and Chairman, COVID Health Sector Response & Procurement Committee, Vini Mahajan informed that the ICMR, New Delhi, had given its nod to conduct the trial, which is expected to commence shortly.

Government Medical College Amritsar and Patiala, Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot, Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Amritsar, the Christian Medical College and Hospital at Ludhiana, the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital at Ludhiana and Satguru Partap Singh Hospital, also in Ludhiana, have partnered to undertake the clinical trial of convalescent Plasma Therapy.

The inter-institution coordination would be done by the Principal Investigators, who would also ensure that the entire trial is conducted in strict accordance with the ICMR protocol at each institution.