MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2021) The South Korean Ministry of food and Drug Safety has started reviewing an application for conditional authorization for a plasma therapy treatment against the coronavirus submitted by local biotechnology company GC Pharma, the Yonhap news agency reported on Friday.
The treatment, dubbed GC5131A, suggests using blood plasma from people who have fully recovered from COVID-19. If approved, the investigative hyperimmune globulin drug will mark South Korea's first blood plasma cure for the deadly disease and the second homegrown treatment against the virus.
The treatment candidate is expected to be available at hospitals immediately upon receiving conditional approval, as the biotech company has already completed the production of the drug's third batch, the news agency added.
In early February, the South Korean regulator granted a conditional marketing authorization to the first homegrown plasma COVID-19 drug. The monoclonal antibody treatment, CT-P59, developed by Celltrion, is allowed for high-risk coronavirus patients, including people over 60 years old and those with underlying health conditions.
