COVID-19: U.S. makes efforts to develop blood-related therapies

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a statement on Friday that it is taking the lead on a national effort to facilitate the development of, and access to, two investigatory therapies derived from human blood.

These two therapies are called convalescent plasma and hyperimmune globulin, and are antibody-rich blood products made from blood donated by people who have recovered from COVID-19, according to the FDA.

The FDA urged American people who have fully recovered from COVID-19 for at least two weeks to consider donating plasma.

The products can be administered to individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said the FDA is launching the efforts to bring blood-related therapies for COVID-19 to market as fast as possible.