(Reuters) – The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) said Tuesday it has discontinued a blood plasma recovery trial in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms, as it is unlikely to benefit this group. would not be.
The NIH said its decision was based on the findings of an independent data monitoring board. (https://bit.ly/3rbOIdh)
The move by the health agency comes less than two months after an international trial of recovery plasma was halted, as no benefit was found. Other studies done in India and Argentina also found no clear benefit for those who are seriously ill with the disease.
The U.S. trial enrolled 511 of 900 participants, who received either blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients or a placebo.
A recent analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in the proportion of patients who needed emergency treatment, had to be admitted to hospital or died within 15 days of the start of the trial, NIH said.
(Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Edited by Shailesh Kuber)