HCA Healthcare Joins COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Study
April 24 2020 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
Recovered COVID-19 patients can donate plasma
to potentially help critically-ill patients
HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA), one of the nation’s leading
healthcare providers, today announced 172 of its affiliated
hospitals are participating in a national study to test whether
plasma from convalescent, or recovered, COVID-19 patients may help
in the treatment of individuals currently sick from the virus. As
part of the effort, these hospitals are seeking qualified plasma
donors in 20 states.
There has been a long history of successful viral infection
treatment using convalescent plasma, but additional clinical data –
and more plasma donations – are needed to determine efficacy in
treating COVID-19. As part of this study, HCA Healthcare is
leveraging its clinical research capabilities as well as its
national hospital network to quickly expand collection and
testing.
“As a learning healthcare system that serves communities across
the country, we are proud to play a part in broader global public
health initiatives, including this and other research, to identify
effective COVID-19 treatments,” said Dr. Jonathan Perlin, chief
medical officer at HCA Healthcare. “We’re encouraging the
communities HCA Healthcare serves to join us in this important
effort to help identify donors.”
HCA Healthcare’s participation is supported by its Sarah Cannon
Research Institute, one of the world’s leading clinical research
organizations conducting community-based clinical trials. Sarah
Cannon has led more than 400 first-in-human oncology clinical
trials since its inception in 1993.
“We are aggressively working with our research partners to
assess a variety of clinical studies for the diagnosis and
treatment of COVID-19,” said Howard “Skip” Burris III, MD,
president of clinical operations and chief medical officer at Sarah
Cannon Research Institute. “The convalescent plasma study is
focused on treating patients currently facing severe cases of
COVID-19, by arming their immune systems with plasma that is rich
in virus-fighting antibodies from individuals who have recently
recovered.”
Over the last century, convalescent plasma has been shown to
help prevent and treat infection in people who are exposed to the
same virus. Recent examples of this approach have occurred during
outbreaks of coronaviruses like SARS-1, and Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome (MERS). The current study, which is supported by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is being led by the Mayo
Clinic.
The success of the study hinges on the continued collection of
plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients. People who tested positive
for COVID-19 and have since tested negative can help by donating
plasma through the American Red Cross or another local donation
center. To find out more about the donation process, eligibility
and locations to donate in your area, please call our dedicated
COVID-19 Plasma Phone Line at (833) 582-1971 or visit our
website.
HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its scale
and the vast data it collects from approximately 35 million annual
patient care episodes to inform and improve patient care. Studies
at HCA Healthcare have been published in leading medical journals,
including the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet, and
have led to new standards of care in the areas of perinatal safety
and infection prevention.
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation's leading
providers of healthcare services, comprising 186 hospitals and
approximately 2,000 sites of care, including surgery centers,
freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 21
states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA
Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United
States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver
patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA
Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including
one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than
early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a
clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU
patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system
that uses its more than 35 million annual patient encounters to
advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click
here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.
About Sarah Cannon
Sarah Cannon Research Institute is one of the world’s leading
clinical research organizations conducting community-based clinical
trials. A leader in drug development, Sarah Cannon has led more
than 400 first-in-human oncology clinical trials since its
inception in 1993 and has been a clinical trial leader in the
majority of approved cancer therapies over the last 10 years.
Beyond cancer, Sarah Cannon has a dedicated team of experts leading
HCA Healthcare’s clinical research platform in many other critical
therapeutic areas. To learn more about Sarah Cannon, visit
sarahcannon.com.
All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA
Healthcare” as used throughout this document refer to HCA
Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.
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