Response from IDSA President to Announcement of Emergency Use Authorization for Convalescent Plasma to Treat COVID-19

 

Thomas M. File, Jr., M.D., FIDSA — President, Infectious Diseases Society of America

While the data to date show some positive signals that convalescent plasma can be helpful in treating individuals with COVID-19, especially if given early in the trajectory of disease, we lack the randomized controlled trial data we need to better understand its utility in COVID-19 treatment. For this reason, IDSA supports the continued collection of data in randomized clinical trials to better understand the benefits of convalescent plasma treatment before authorizing its wider use in patients with COVID-19.