Trump Criticizes FDA Delay of Convalescent Plasma EUA

President Trump is lashing out at the FDA’s decision to hold off issuing an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for using convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients.

“It could be a political decision, because you have a lot of people over there that don’t want to rush things because they want to do it after Nov. 3, and you’ve heard that one before,” Trump said. “But I’ve heard fantastic things about convalescent plasma, and I’ve heard numbers way over 50 percent success.”

Convalescent plasma as a COVID-19 treatment — which involves using blood from previously infected patients to treat sick patients — is currently the focus of intense research. The FDA has chosen to delay its EUA for the experimental treatment because of concerns over the treatment’s  safety and efficacy.

“Although promising, convalescent plasma has not yet been shown to be safe and effective as a treatment for COVID-19. Therefore, it is important to study the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in clinical trials,” the agency said in a statement.

In June, a trial at Houston Methodist hospitals found convalescent plasma was safe for severely infected patients, although it only evaluated the treatment in a small number of critically ill patients (DID, June 5). — James Miessler