array:1 [
  0 => {#473
    +"n_tit": "COVID-19: ICMR invites institutions to study plasma therapy"
    +"n_date": "2020-04-13 14:28:32.600"
    +"n_desc": """
      <p><strong>New Delhi, Apr 13 (IANS):</strong> The Indian Council of Medical research has sought letters of intent from institutions with necessary equipment and infrastructure to participate in a clinical trial to study safety and efficacy of therapeutic plasma exchange in COVID-19 patients, subsequent to necessary approvals and clearances.</p>\r\n
      <p>The apex medical research body's invite was uploaded on the ICMR website on Sunday.</p>\r\n
      <p>The project is named "Multi-center, Phase II, Open Label, Randomized Controlled Study of Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in COVID-19".</p>\r\n
      <p>The Therapeutic Plasma Exchange (TPE) is an experimental procedure for critically ill COVID-19 patients which, the ICMR said, it does not recommend as a treatment option outside of clinical trials.</p>\r\n
      <p>"Institutions interested to collaborate with ICMR on undertaking this trial intervention may express their interest by providing the details through the following link: https://forms.gle/7AaW528DMQbNZsUr9," said the ICMR on its website, adding that hospitals and institutions planning to provide this modality of treatment should do so in a clinical trial with protocols which are cleared by the Institutional Ethics Committee.</p>\r\n
      <p>The primary objective of the study is to assess the efficacy of TPE in improving the clinical status of COVID-19 patients and to evaluate the safety of treatment with anti SARS-CoV-2 plasma in patients with COVID-19.</p>\r\n
      <p>The study will include hospitalised COVID-19 patients who are critically ill, fulfil the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and are admitted for care at COVID-19 management facilities in India.</p>
      """
    +"n_loc": "others              "
    +"activecomments": "0"
    +"showLikeDislike": "1"
    +"showGoogleAd": "1"
    +"showThumbsUp": "0"
    +"showERelgoInlineImage": "0"
  }
]