US approves use of blood plasma treatment on coronovirus patients

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted emergency authorization for the use of plasma to treat coronavirus patients.

  The technology uses antibody-enriched blood plasma from people who have overcome the disease, and has already been used on more than 70,000 people in the US.

  President Donald Trump said that treatment can reduce deaths by up to 35%.

  It comes a day after he accused the FDA of implementing the rollout of vaccines and medical science for political reasons.

  The announcement comes on the eve of the Republican National Convention, where Mr. Trump will begin his campaign to win a second term in the White House.

  This is what I have been wanting to do for a long time, "the president told reporters on Sunday," I am pleased to make a truly historic declaration in our fight against the China virus that will save countless lives.  "

  President Trump described the process as a powerful therapy and he appealed to Americans to come forward to donate plasma when recovered from Kovid-19.

  The FDA said preliminary research suggests that blood plasma can reduce mortality and improve a patient's health if it is administered within the first three days of their hospitalization.

  The agency said it concluded it was safe after a comprehensive review of data collected during recent months.  In a statement, it was added that the benefits of the treatment outweighed any risk

  According to the Reuters news agency, Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said that it appears that the product is safe and we are comfortable with it and we do not see any safety signs.

  But many experts, including Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House Coronovirus Task Force, have so far expressed reservations about the study's robustness.

  The FDA has already approved the use of plasma transfusions on coronovirus patients under certain conditions who are seriously ill or are participating in clinical trials.

  In a tweet on Saturday, President Trump stated "At the FDA, or whoever, it is making it very difficult for pharmaceutical companies to get people to do vaccines and clinical trials."

  "Obviously, hoping the North will be delayed until after the [US presidential election]."

  Earlier this year, US regulators granted emergency authorization to Gilenod Science Inc.'s Remedisvir as a therapeutic treatment for coronavirus.

  Meanwhile, a Financial Times report states that the White House is considering giving emergency authorization for the vaccine being developed by Oxford University and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca ahead of the US presidential election on 3 November.  The White House has not commented on the story, but a spokesperson for AstraZeneca told Reuters that efficacy results for its trials were not expected until later this year.

  According to a tally at Johns Hopkins University, more than 176,000 people have died of coronovirus since the onset of the outbreak in the United States.  Around 5.7 million cases have also been confirmed nationwide.