COVID-19: Fund crunch stalls clinical trial of plasma therapy in Bangladesh

The clinical trial of convalescent plasma to treat COVID-19 patients in Bangladesh has hit a snag due to a shortage of funds as the coronavirus outbreak worsens.

At the beginning of May, the expert panel formed to oversee the administration of the experimental treatment had requested an allocation of Tk 4 million as part of the efforts to find a remedy for the infection. However, the health ministry is yet to disburse any money in this regard, according to the committee's chief Dr MA Khan.

Until now, the trial had been run using a combination of donations and hospital funds with the therapy producing 'good results' in 35 infected patients, said Khan, also the head of Dhaka Medical College Hospital's haematology department.

“Our work is progressing at a slow pace due to the lack of government funding. Now it is hanging in the balance. We began the trial with the funding from DMCH but can’t continue it unless we receive government assistance.”

The panel had submitted to the health directorate's director of hospitals, a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in running the programme with 90 patients, according to Khan. The proposal was then forwarded to the health ministry in the first week of May.

“We need the money to conduct some tests. Some of the tests are done here while others need to be conducted elsewhere. We also need medical kits for plasma and tighter tests.”

The panel, however, is yet to hear from the government regarding the funds, according to Khan.

“As far as I know, the ministry has an interest in it, but maybe it’s getting held up by red tape. The file may not have reached the right place yet.”

DGHS Director (Hospitals) Aminul Hasan could not be reached over the phone for comment. 

Meanwhile, Habibur Rahman Khan, additional director of the health ministry, said the authorities are aware of the request for funds.

“I haven’t seen their letter but heard that the director of hospitals forwarded it to the ministry. I’ll look into the matter.”

The procedure for plasma therapy involves collecting a blood sample from a recovered Covid-19 patient and transfusing separated plasma to a critically ill patient. Plasma is a clear part of blood that is left when the blood cells have been removed and contains antibodies and other proteins.

The immune system of an infected person creates natural antibodies to fight the virus. The antibodies grow in number over time in the plasma of an infected person. Through plasma therapy, the antibodies are used to treat other infected patients.

The coronavirus infection has been rampant in Bangladesh, sickening 98,489 people and killing 1,305 others since it was first detected on Mar 8.

Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019 but even developed countries have been struggling to contain the pandemic. Plasma therapy is currently being tried in different countries, including the UK and USA, to treat COVID-19 patients.

On Apr 19, the DGHS formed a four-strong expert panel led by Dr Khan to run a clinical trial of treatment in Bangladesh.