ICMR approves 38 institutions for COVID-19 PLACID trial

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The clinical trial liability insurance has been bought centrally by the ICMR

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved 38 institutions to conduct a multi-centre PLACID trial.

Earlier the ICMR invited application from sites, which had the facilities to undertake the study and received a good response from institutions. Although it has approved the 38 sites to begin the clinical trial, it will evaluate more institutions as well.

PLACID trial is “A phase II, open-label, randomised controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of convalescent plasma to limit COVID-19 associated complications in moderate disease.” (PLACID Trial). And the therapy involves taking antibodies from the blood of a person who has recovered from COVID-19 and transfusing those antibodies into an active coronavirus patient to help kickstart the immune system to fight the infection.

According to the ICMR spokesperson said, “Most of those 38 ICMR approved sites, have initiated the clinical trials. And another 83 institutes are under the process of getting the approval.”

He also informed that the sample size of the study is 452, however, once 400 patients are enrolled, no more sites will be added.

The PLACID trial protocol has been registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI) with the registration number CTRI/2020/04/024775.

The study has also received approval from the COVID-19 National Ethics Committee (CONEC), vide letter noCoNEC 002/2020, dated  April 29, 2020, and the generic protocol for this study has also been approved by the DCGI, CDSCO  letter no X.11026/78/2020-BD, dated  April 26, 2020.

The clinical trial liability insurance has been bought centrally by the ICMR.

Names of Medical Institutions received approval are given below: Source: ICMR

1.  Smt. NHL Municipal Medical College, Ahmedabad
2. B.J. Medical College and Civil hospital, Ahmedabad
3.  Government Medical College, Bhavnagar
4. Government Medical College, Surat
5.  GMERS Medical College, Vadodara
6.   Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Jaipur
7. Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur
8.  Santokba Durlabhji Memorial Hospital, Jaipur
9.  Dr. S.N. Medical College, Jodhpur
10.  Satguru Pratap Singh Hospital, Ludhiana 
11.  Christian Medical College, Ludhiana 
12. Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana 
13. Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot 
14. Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Amritsar
15.  B.J. Government Medical College, Pune
16.  Poona Hospital and research center, Pune
17.   Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre, Mumbai
18. Rajarshee Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Government Medical College and CPR Hospital Kolhapur
19. TMC & BYL Nair Hospital. Mumbai Kasturba Hospital, Sane Guruji Marg, Arya Nagar, Chinchpokli, Mumbai
20. Government Medical College, Nagpur
21. Madurai Medical college, Madurai
22.  Madras Medical College, Chennai
23.  Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, Tirunelveli
24.  Christian Medical College, Vellore
25.  Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal
26.  Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, Indore
27. Chirayu Medical College and Hospital, Bhopal
28. Government Institute of Medical Sciences, Noida
29.  Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow
30.  Super Speciality Paediatric Hospital and Post Graduate Teaching Institute, Noida
31. Institute of Medical Sciences, Hubli
32. Mysore Medical College, Mysuru
33.  Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences, Hassan
34.  Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya,
35.  Gandhi Medical College, Telangana
36.  ESIC Medical College, Hyderabad
37. Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
38.  Lady Hardinge Medical College