COVID-19 BLOOD PLASMA THERAPY OPTIONS ARE PROMISING

Blood plasma therapy innovation driven by academic, healthcare and technology enterprises is confronting the COVID-19 challenge

Multiple clinical research initiatives are underway to learn more about the potential of blood plasma as a therapeutic approach to combat COVID-19. A pivotal assumption is a patient who has recovered from COVID-19 has produced antibodies to it. By using plasma from these patients and introducing it into patients who are critically ill from COVID-19, the plasma will fortify their systems with antibodies and provide them support to survive COVID-19 as their own immune systems develop COVID-19 antibodies.

Two clinical strategies are involved in COVID-19 blood plasma therapy

While there is differentiation between researchers and healthcare provider organizations exploring the attributes of COVID-19 blood plasma therapy, there are two approaches that presently have the most traction: 

• One option is to transfer the blood plasma from the recovered COVID-19 patient to the ill COVID-19 patient by direct transfusion 
• A second option being assessed is to collect the blood plasma from recovered patients and process it to create hyperimmune globulin that can be administered via IV transfusion to patients 

Timing is important. Medical professionals and researchers are most interested in the blood plasma from discharged COVID-19 patients within two months of their recovery as the presence of COVID-19 antibodies are likely at their peak.

Each COVID-19 blood plasma strategy has solid merit to further explore

The direct transfusion route is a simplistic approach however the hyperimmune globulin could treat a wider number of patients by producing more doses. Other hyperimmune globulin therapies that have been developed include:

• Cytomegalovirus (CMV) (typically for use after bone marrow transplants and solid organ transplants)
• Hepatitis B (HBV)
• Rabies
• RhoD (typically administered to prevent hemolytic disease of newborns or "HDN")
• Tetanus