ADVANCING PLASMA DONATIONS: President Donald J. Trump is working to expand access to and encourage blood plasma donations to fight against COVID-19.
- Under the leadership of President Trump, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has worked tirelessly to study the effectiveness of and increase access to plasma.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program to quickly develop treatments, including investigational studies of the use of plasma.
- The Trump Administration and a public-private coalition have launched websites and campaigns to raise awareness of the possible benefits of plasma and to encourage donations.
- The Administration has also coordinated with State and local officials, as well as community leaders and celebrities, to get the message out on plasma donation.
- The Trump Administration has also coordinated with collection centers and hospitals across the public and private sector to monitor and expand capacity and prioritize hotspots.
- More than 14 healthcare organizations are joining the campaign, including the American Red Cross, America’s Blood Centers, and the American Medical Association.
HIGHLIGHTING CRITICAL TREATMENT: Plasma-based treatments have the potential to deliver antibodies to patients fighting COVID-19, a potentially game changing treatment.
- Plasma donations are important for many Americans, including those with immunodeficiencies.
- Donors can give plasma multiple times – providing a supply of useful antibody treatments.
- As the race to develop effective vaccines and therapeutics continues, convalescent plasma is the first widely available antibody-based therapy for this virus.
- While HHS continues to clinically evaluate efficacy data, a large Mayo Clinic study found that the use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 is safe, and preliminary results suggest a lower mortality rate for COVID-19 patients when plasma is administered early in the disease course.
- Convalescent plasma can also be used to make hyperimmune globulin, a potential therapeutic currently undergoing clinical trials.
SECURING EFFECTIVE TREATMENTS: This action expands on President Trump’s historic efforts to accelerate the development of vaccines and therapeutics, while ensuring their safety, effectiveness, and quality.
- President Trump is using every resource at his disposal to develop safe and effective vaccines and therapeutics in record time.
- Through Operation Warp Speed, President Trump is coordinating the best minds of the United States Government and private industry to quickly deliver vaccines and therapeutics to the American people.
- Thanks to President Trump, the United States has secured 650,000 courses of the drug remdesivir, which has been shown to decrease mortality and speed up recovery time.
- Additionally, President Trump has invested in the rapid development and manufacturing of other therapeutics – including Regeneron’s double antibody cocktail.
