President Trump on Sunday announced that the Food and Drug Administration has issued an emergency use authorization for the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients. Trump called the move “historic” and claimed the treatment will “save countless lives.”
The FDA said more than 70,000 patients have been treated with convalescent plasma, which is taken from people who have recovered from COVID-19. The FDA added that the “known and potential benefits of the product outweigh the known and potential risks of the product.”
There is no conclusive evidence that using convalescent plasma works, and additional data will be forthcoming from other analyses and ongoing, well-controlled clinical trials in the coming months.
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