美 FDA 혈장 치료 승인... 국내 혈장치료제 개발 지속 되
The U.S. FDA issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19.
But here in South Korea, due to apparent limitations of this treatment, a different kind of treatment using convalescent plasma is under development for general use.
Choi Won-jong has the latest.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
Speaking at the White House on Sunday, U.S. President Trump announced that the treatment could save countless lives.
"The FDA has issued an emergency use authorization, and that's such a powerful term emergency use authorization for a treatment known as convalescent plasma."
The treatment works by using antibodies from the blood of people who have recovered from COVID-19 to cure other patients.
However, it is still not clear whether convalescent plasma will be suitable as a treatment... because of inconclusive evidence on its effectiveness and the appropriate dosage.
Outside the U.S., South Korea has been already using the plasma treatment.
"Convalescent plasma treatment is already being used in South Korea. The problem is finding a plasma donor, and it is not always easy to match up a COVID-19 patient with the plasma of a donor."
Although the treatment could help critically ill patients, some say it's too soon to call it a 'breakthrough' in the fight against the pandemic.
Due to the limitations of plasma treatment, GS Pharma and the Korea National Institute of Health are preparing a different kind of plasma treatment.
"In order to overcome some limitations from the plasma treatment, they are developing a different treatment by using 'hyperimmune globulin.'"
This treatment uses 'hyperimmune globulin' which contains a high concentration of antibodies, collected from a large amount of plasma from COVID-19 survivors.
He added that the company received approval to begin the phase-two human clinical trials from South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety last Thursday.
Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.
