Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD) will use plasma immunisation for the first time to treat coronavirus patients after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government-run on Tuesday.
The MoU was signed by Dr Seemi Jamali, the executive director of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), and Professor Dr Tahir Shamsi from National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation (NIBD).
Plasma therapy of COVID-19 patients will commence at the Jinnah Hospital.
The MoU sets forth the continuation of understandings between the named parties to pursue “Experimental Use of Convalescent Plasma In Treating Critically Ill Patients With Covid-19 Disease.”
According to Dr Tahir Shamsi, the procedure would improve the critically ill patients with COVID-19 disease within two to three days after the administration of convalescent plasma.
Plasma immunisation is being used in many countries by using blood donated by recovered patients for introducing anti-bodies in those COVID-19 patients receiving treatment.
The therapy can also be used to immunise the people at high risk of contracting the virus including health professionals, families of patients and others.
The plasma immunisation procedure was also approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Researchers said that it is a preventive measure but not a treatment for COVID-19 disease which is akin to passive immunisation.
