NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WMOT/AP) -- Vanderbilt Medical Center will spend the next year and 34 million federal dollars researching the effectiveness of that COVID-19 therapy President Trump granted emergency authorization for Sunday.
While the president is calling the move “a breakthrough" health experts say the therapy needs more study before it can be celebrated.
Blood plasma rich in antibodies is taken from patients who’ve recovered from coronavirus. It may provide benefits to those battling the disease.
However, Vanderbilt notes only two previous studies have been conducted on the efficacy of Convalescent Plasma Therapy. Both were inconclusive and ended early.
Researchers at Vanderbilt say the technique has been in use by medical practitioners for a century. It’s been used to treat many types of infection, including “pneumonia, meningitis, measles, influenza and Ebola but without clear evidence of safety and effectiveness.”
