KARACHI: Pakistan will use plasma immunisation for the first time to treat coronavirus patients as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between a government-run Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) and National Institute of Blood Diseases (NIBD), ARY News reported 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).
It is decided to commence plasma therapy of COVID-19 patients at Jinnah Hospital.
The document obtained by ARY News read, “This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) sets forth the continuation of understandings between the name parties to pursue “Experimental Use of Convalescent Plasma In Treating Critically Ill Patients With Covid-19 Disease.”
Dr Tahir Shamsi said that the procedure would improve the critically ill patients with COVID-19 disease within two to three days after the administration of convalescent plasma.
It is pertinent to mention here that the 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.
