COVID-19: FDA Authorizes Blood Purification Device For Treatment Of Coronavirus

Wednesday, June 3, 2020, 21:58

As of today, there are 2,407,439 COVID-19 cases with 165,073 deaths. On a hopeful note, 625,202 have recovered. The virus outbreak that began in 2019 continues to cause casualties, while health experts around the globe are extensively working on developing a vaccine and simpler test kits.

According to the reports by the World Health Organization, about 80 per cent of people with the virus infection recover without needing any special treatment, where only one person in six becomes seriously ill and develops respiratory problems [1].

In a recent report issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the use of blood purification system to treat patients 18 years of age or older with confirmed covid-19 has been pointed out [2]. The blood purification system will be used for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with confirmed or imminent respiratory failure.

Can The Coronavirus Spread Through Currency Notes? Can The Coronavirus Spread Through Currency Notes?

How Does The Blood Purification Device Treat COVID-19?

The blood purification device authorised by the FDA reduces the number of cytokines - the substances secreted by certain cells of the immune system that have an effect on other cells [3]. The device also controls other inflammatory mediators such as the small active proteins in the bloodstream that control a cell's immune response by filtering the blood and returning the filtered blood to the patient [4].

By removing these proteins, the device helps prevent cytokine storm - which is an overreaction of the body's immune system [5]. This has been increasingly reported in coronavirus patients, as well as in people suffering from influenza and conditions alike [6].

What Is Cytokine Storm?

First of all, cytokines are small proteins released by many different cells in the body, where they coordinate the body's response against infection and trigger inflammation. In some cases, the body's response to infection can go into overdrive [7].

A cytokine storm can occur when, for example, the coronavirus enters the lungs, triggering an immune response, attracting immune cells to the region to attack the virus. This results in localised inflammation and in some patients, hyper inflammation which can cause serious complications, and even death [8].

Cytokine storms are a common complication not only of covid-19 and flu but of other respiratory diseases caused by coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS, and non-infectious diseases such as multiple sclerosis and pancreatitis [9]. These help in understanding why some people have a severe reaction to coronaviruses while others only experience mild symptoms.

Studies point out that this could also explain why young people are less affected because their immune systems are less developed, thereby only produce lower levels of inflammation-driving cytokines [10].

Blood Purification Device May Help Reduce Severity Of COVID-19

FDA spokespersons added that the authorisation of the blood purification device for the treatment of severe cases of covid-19 have been carried out with the strong hope to reduce the severity of the disease for patients in the ICU.

"We continue to work across all sectors to expedite the development of numerous innovative potential preventive and treatment approaches by both facilitating emergency access for patients, to the extent we can, and supporting the evaluation of potential therapies."

He continued, "With today's authorization of a blood purification device, we are expediting the availability of a treatment option for patients in the ICU to help reduce the severity of the disease. Our staff will continue our around the clock review of all medical products to expedite the availability of treatments to help fight this devastating disease" [11].

On A Final Note…

Currently, there no treatments have proven to work specifically against the coronavirus infection. The need to develop or find an effective vaccine for the coronavirus diseases has become extremely critical, considering the hike in the number of covid-19 positive cases. With hundreds of researchers and doctors extensively working on developing a potent cure for the coronavirus disease, there is hope for a positive result.