Since May 2020, the RECOVERY trial has included a randomised comparison of convalescent plasma vs. usual care alone. Convalescent plasma has been widely used as a treatment for COVID-19 but to date there has been no convincing evidence of the effect of convalescent plasma on clinical outcomes in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
The RECOVERY trial independent Data Monitoring Committee (DMC) held a routine meeting on Thursday 14 January to review the available safety and efficacy data.
On the advice of the DMC, recruitment to the convalescent plasma arm of the RECOVERY trial has now closed. The DMC saw no convincing evidence that further recruitment would provide conclusive proof of worthwhile mortality benefit either overall or in any pre-specified subgroup.
The DMC reviewed data on patients randomised to convalescent plasma vs. usual care. The preliminary analysis based on 1873 reported deaths among 10,406 randomised patients shows no significant difference in the primary endpoint of 28-day mortality (18% convalescent plasma vs. 18% usual care alone; risk ratio 1.04 [95% confidence interval 0.95-1.14]; p=0.34). Follow-up of patients is ongoing and final results will be published as soon as possible.