Trump Hails FDA Decision To Approve Plasma Therapy For Coronavirus Treatment, Just A Day After Criticizing Them

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given emergency use authorization for blood plasma treatment for critical coronavirus patients. President Donald Trump hailed the decision taken by the federal agency and touted it as a “historic announcement.”

The plasma therapy, which is being studied across the world as a potential treatment for COVID-19, makes use of antibody-rich blood plasma from the donors who have already recovered from coronavirus infection. The processed plasma is transfused to the patients with the severe form of the disease, which helps them fight the infection.

During the announcement, Trump claimed that could reduce deaths by 35 percent. So far, as many as 70,000 people are said to have received plasma therapy as coronavirus treatment.

"This is what I've been looking forward to doing for a long time," POTUS said during his address to the media on Sunday, Aug. 23. "I'm pleased to make a truly historic announcement in our battle against the China virus that will save countless lives."

Trump’s comments came just a day after accusing the FDA of deliberately delaying the approval and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine due to “political reasons.”

Before the emergency use authorization, the FDA had already approved the use of plasma therapy for critically-ill patients. The federal agency has now given emergency use authorization for the therapy, saying that data from early research suggests it can help reduce mortality rates.

Additionally, it mentioned that there is some evidence that plasma therapy can help patients and improve their health if it is administered within three days of their admission to the hospital. The FDA based their decision on the review of treatment outcomes of 20,000 patients across the U.S. who received the therapy.

"It appeared that the product is safe and we're comfortable with that and we continue to see no concerning safety signals," said Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, while making the announcement.