Nagpur: Despite two reminders from divisional commissioner Sanjeev Kumar to GMCH dean Dr Sudhir Gupta, the medical college’s microbiology department is yet to provide RT-PCR samples of convalescent plasma recipients to the three-member expert panel set up to conduct a retro study on the therapy.
The study on plasma therapy shall entail genome sequencing samples of Covid patients who received the experimental therapy under project ‘Platina’ at Government Medical College and Nagpur (GMCH).
The panel would be looking for possible mutations in the novel coronavirus positive samples of plasma recipients collected on 1st, 7th and 14th day.
An official from the divisional commissioner office told TOI that the study may not even take off unless the court intervenes.
“There are two issues.
First, at the time of admission, the patients were not shortlisted for the study but at a later date.
So, it is unlikely the medical college may have the 1st, 7th or 14th day sample.
Some samples may be available of post-plasma therapy days of patients who required ICU.
GMCH has performed over a lakh Covid tests.
It would be a tedious task to search for those samples,” the official said.
GMCH officials said they are trying to trace the samples for over a week now but to no avail.
On the other hand, one of the panel members said the situation changed completely since the day Nagpur bench of Bombay high court ordered the study and now.
“Soon after the court order, ICMR dropped plasma therapy from its treatment protocol.
Now, the study may not have the same significance,” the member said.
Another member said the study is still relevant as part of investigations into the second wave and the appearance of new mutants.
The medical college had led the state-level project in which nearly 500 patients received convalescent plasma, to assess its efficacy in treating critically-ill Covid patients, last year.
However, the project was abandoned after it was found that the therapy doesn’t have any mortality benefit.
Following Nagpur bench of Bombay high court’s order on May 12, an expert panel was formed to study the impact of plasma therapy, to ascertain if it led to acceleration of Covid-19 cases in the city.
The panel comprises Dr Krishna Khairnar, head of environmental virology at CSIR-NEER; virologist Major (retd) Dr Milind Bhursundi, and pulmonologist Dr Ravindra Sarnaik.