The Indian government on Monday removed plasma therapy from the treatment protocol for adult Covid-19 patients. The therapy uses blood plasma from people who have recovered from Covid-19 to help others recover.

The decision was made by the Covid-19 National Task Force after consulting with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), AIIMS New Delhi, among others.

Earlier, when the Covid-19 pandemic started, plasma therapy became popular as a 'treatment' for Covid-19. However, after several types of research conducted, it has now been declared that plasma therapy will not work on Covid patients in containing the virus.

Members of the National Task Force for Covid-19, in a meeting with the ICMR on Friday, were in favour to remove the use of plasma therapy in Covid treatment. The members reportedly cited its ineffectiveness and inappropriate use in several cases.

The decision was made as some scientists cautioned Principal Scientific Advisor Dr K Vijay Raghavan against the irrational and non-scientific use of plasma.

They also wrote a letter to ICMR Chief Dr Balram Bhargava alleging that the current guidelines of plasma therapy is based on the time of the outbreak of the virus and now treatment should be changed as there is also the emergence of many other variants. The letter added that there is no benefit offered to the Covid-9 patients by using plasma therapy in their treatment.