US FDA commissioner apologises for saying 'plasma reduces COVID-19 deaths by 35%'

commissioner of US Food and Drug ministration Dr Stephen Hahn, on August 25, apologised for misrepresenting a key statistic on how effective blood plasma is for treating coronavirus. Hahn, while issuing emergency approval for plasma taken from recovered COVID-19 patients, h said that blood plasma can reduce mortality by 35 per cent. He h said that if data continue to pan out, 100 people who are sick with virus, 35 would have been saved because of ministration. 

Hahn and or senior health officials came under fire from experts after repeating a claim me by US President Donald Trump that blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients reduced mortality rates by 35 per cent. Apart from Hahn, Health Secretary Alex Azar also reportedly said that ’35 per cent mortality reduction’ is a ‘major vance’ in treatment of patients. Such a reduction would have been a game-changer, however, statistics were false. 

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health officials h said that results came from a study of 35,000 patients conducted by Mayo Clinic, however, Dr Scott Wright, study’s leer, reportedly said that it did t come from his institution’s research. While speaking to an international media outlet, Wright said that he believes that it might be an integrated analysis’ that FDA h arrived at by looking at both Mayo’s work and or studies. 

After being criticised for false data, Hahn took to Twitter on Tuesday and apologised for false claims. He said that he should have said that data show a ‘relative’ risk reduction and t ‘absolute’. FDA Spokeswoman Emily Miller also tweeted that 35 per cent referred to ‘relative difference’ in mortality risk between those patients in Mayo’s study who received a high level of antibodies against those who received a low level of antibodies. 

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Convalescent plasma shows ‘promising data’ 

Meanwhile, in a press release, FDA wrote that it was giving an emergency use authorization (EUA) for investigational convalescent plasma for treatment of COVID-19, citing its effectiveness, based on scientific evidence available. “This product may be effective in treating COVID-19 and that kwn and potential benefits of product outweigh kwn and potential risks of product,” it said. “I am committed to releasing safe and potentially helpful treatments for COVID-19 as quickly as possible in order to save lives. We’re encourd by early promising data that we’ve seen about convalescent plasma,” Hahn said. 

(Im: @cahulaan/Twitter) 

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