Trump & The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) late Sunday issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma, allowing it to be administered to those hospitalized with COVID-19. Trump stated Monday that he will explain further at a briefing scheduled on Thursday night.
Convalescent plasma is derived from the blood of those who have had and recovered from a virus. It uses antibodies created by the immune system to help a recipient’s body learn to fight off a pathogen on its own.
On Monday, Trump announced that he may be holding an additional briefing Thursday night detailing more information on therapeutics, vaccines, and convalescent plasma.
Though Trump touted convalescent plasma as a “very historic breakthrough,” it is one of the oldest tools in modern medicine, a technique that goes back to the development of the modern understanding of viruses. It has been used to treat everything from influenza to, more recently, the Ebola virus and possibly now, the coronavirus or COVID-19.
“Convalescent plasma therapy is actually something that’s been used for over 100 years for various infectious diseases, and it’s been effective in some and not so effective in others,” said Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization’s chief scientist.
Several questions about the effectiveness of convalescent plasma treatments remain: The coronavirus causes different immune responses in people depending on the severity of their own disease, leaving it unclear whether all convalescent plasma samples would be equally effective. It is not clear at what dose the plasma should be administered. And it is not clear when someone should receive the plasma, though the studies suggest the sooner after the onset of symptoms the better.
Convalescent plasma is the latest potential treatment for the coronavirus that Trump has rushed to embrace before the science is clear. Trump for months pushed scientists to treat COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine, even after major studies were halted prematurely when they showed no effects or negative consequences.
As we said on Monday, the top 2 stocks to add to your watch list this week are Sonnet BioTherapeutics (SONN) and ADMA Biologics (ADMA)
Looking to beat the market?
Sign up and get Money Signals straight to your phone with over 50% in profits! Join now!
