Houston Methodist ramps up plasma therapy as FDA approves clinical trial

The FDA’s announcement Friday to approve convalescent serum therapy as a large-scale clinical trial opened the door for more patients to receive the potentially life-saving gift of a donor’s plasma. Houston Methodist, one of the first institutions in the country to infuse convalescent serum into a critically ill patient, immediately was able to offer the therapy to two more COVID-19 patients, bringing its total to four and leading the way to treat many more patients in the coming days.

Ten fully recovered COVID-19 patients who were tested and treated at Houston Methodist hospitals have since donated their plasma for fellow patients, and more donations are scheduled for next week. Physician scientists at Houston Methodist cautioned that the convalescent serum therapy – more than a century old and used in previous infectious outbreaks around the globe – remains experimental, and it could be some time before its effectiveness in individual patients is known.

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For information on how to donate plasma, please call 346.238.4360.