New data from studies in Wuhan support plasma therapy, AbbVie's antiviral

While the spread of Covid-19 in China has largely been subdued, clinical trials testing the effectiveness of various therapies are ongoing as researchers continue to learn more about the novel coronavirus.

In a small pilot study conducted by three hospitals in Wuhan, researchers found that patients severely ill with Covid-19 had better clinical outcomes if they received one dose of convalescent plasma derived from patients who have recovered from the infection. Convalescent plasma from recovered patients contains antibodies capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

The study, recently published in PNAS, showed that patients receiving transfusion of convalescent plasma had a reduction in symptoms, improved lung function, and faster viral clearance within days.

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recommend plasma therapy, China's provisional treatment guideline lists blood plasma as one option for treating severe or critically ill patients with the novel coronavirus. Hospitals in Hong Kong first used convalescent plasma to treat patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome during the SARS outbreak in 2003.

Doctors at Wuhan's Jinyintan Hospital also observed positive results from prescribing AbbVie's Kaletra with bismuth potassium citrate to Covid-19 patients.

"We believe taking this drug is beneficial," Zhang Dingyu, the president of Jinyintan Hospital, told Reuters last week in reference to Kaletra.