Botched Covid Plasma Announcement Clouds FDA’s Vaccine Process

Overblown claims about antibodies harvested from infected Covid-19 patients’ blood threaten to undermine public faith in future FDA approvals of therapies or even vaccines.

The Food and Drug Administration will release additional information to support the recent emergency use authorization on convalescent plasma to treat Covid-19, Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Tuesday on “CBS This Morning.” Hahn has already walked back statements he made about the treatment’s efficacy during the White House conference after widespread criticism from scientists.

Convalescent plasma is the liquid part of blood harvested from Covid-19 patients that might contain antibodies to fight the infection. Clinical ...