ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Multiple therapies are being used at two St. Peter’s Health Partners hospitals to treat critically ill coronavirus patients.

St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany and Samaritan Hospital in Troy are using the new treatments.

The hospitals will be using the methods of the antiviral drug remdesivir; IL-6 inhibitor drugs; macrophage inhibitors; and convalescent blood plasma therapy to treat patients.

SPHP is the first in the region to use remdesivir, an experimental antiviral drug, in select patients at St. Peter’s Hospital, said Philip Palmieri, M.D., St. Peter’s Hospital’s chief of infectious disease. The World Health Organization has identified remdesivir as one of the most promising treatments in treating COVID-19.

Although traditionally used to treat a variety of rheumatologic diseases, IL-6 inhibitor drugs have been administered to patients at both St. Peter’s Hospital and Samaritan Hospital, said Dr. Palmieri. 

Three patients in St. Peter’s Hospital’s ICU have been identified as potential recipients of antibody-rich plasma from a donor in New York City. The hospital’s Convalescent Plasma Team will begin administering the treatment in the next few days.

In addition to the scheduled plasma delivery, St. Peter’s is also seeking plasma donors locally for further research.

Eligible donors must be fully recovered from COVID-19 with no symptoms for at least 14 days. Candidates will then be retested to ensure the virus is no longer active in their system. Once approved, the donations will be collected by the American Red Cross.

If you would like to donate, go to www.redcrossblood.org and click on Potential Donor and Fully Recovered from COVID to register.