美 FDA 혈장 치료 승인... 국내 혈장치료제 개발 지속 되<br /><br />The U.S. FDA issued an emergency use authorization for convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19.<br />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.<br />Choi Won-jong has the latest.<br />The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved emergency authorization of convalescent plasma as a potential treatment for COVID-19.<br />Speaking at the White House on Sunday, U.S. President Trump announced that the treatment could save countless lives.<br />"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."<br />The treatment works by using antibodies from the blood of people who have recovered from COVID-19 to cure other patients.<br />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.<br />Outside the U.S., South Korea has been already using the plasma treatment.<br />"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."<br />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.<br />Due to the limitations of plasma treatment, GS Pharma and the Korea National Institute of Health are preparing a different kind of plasma treatment.<br />"In order to overcome some limitations from the plasma treatment, they are developing a different treatment by using 'hyperimmune globulin.'"<br />This treatment uses 'hyperimmune globulin' which contains a high concentration of antibodies, collected from a large amount of plasma from COVID-19 survivors.<br />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.<br />Choi Won-jong, Arirang News.<br />
