Clinical Trial: Are You at High Risk for COVID-19?
If you are at high risk of exposure to COVID-19, you may be able to participate in a new outpatient clinical trial of convalescent plasma. The University of Miami Health System is one of 16 sites for the nationwide trial, led by Johns Hopkins University.
“Convalescent plasma contains antibodies from persons who have recovered from COVID-19 and may be able to prevent others from getting the viral infection,” says Shweta Anjan, M.D., assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. “While the prospect of effective vaccines has captured the headlines, it will be many months before they become widely available. In the meantime, we need to continue to explore potential therapies for COVID-19.”
UHealth is the only Florida site in the “COVID-19 Antibody Clinical Trial,” and Dr. Anjan is the principal investigator in the first large-scale outpatient trial of convalescent plasma. Previous studies have been done in a hospital setting with patients already being treated for the coronavirus.
“We are planning to enroll 50 participants here for the 90-day trial,” said Dr. Anjan. “They will receive one infusion of plasma with up to seven follow-up visits.”
Candidates for the trial include health care professionals and support staff who work in a hospital or clinic environment, as well as those who have been in close contact with a person with COVID-19 at home, school or work, or while traveling. Participants must be age 18 or older.
“If the trial proves to be successful, this convalescent plasma treatment may help other people who get exposed to the disease in the future,” said Dr. Anjan. “It may keep them from developing symptoms and possibly reduce the need for hospitalization.”
To learn more or to enroll in the nationwide trial, go to CovidPlasmaTrial.org. For more information, email [email protected].
Originally written by Richard Westlund for Inventum.
