Convalescent plasma therapy / Columbia University - LARVOL DELTA

Creating a plasma coordination center to support COVID-19 outpatient trials across a national network of hospital blood banks. (PubMed, J Clin Transl Sci) - "A core investigational team adapted a cloud-based platform to randomize patient assignments and track inventory distribution of control plasma and high-titer COVID-19 convalescent plasma of different blood groups from 29 donor collection centers directly to blood banks serving 26 transfusion sites. Distributing more than 3,100 plasma units to blood banks charged with managing investigational inventory across the U.S. in a decentralized manner posed operational and regulatory challenges while providing opportunities for the plasma coordination center to contribute to research of global importance. This program can serve as a template in subsequent public health emergencies."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Quality of life and cost-effectiveness of convalescent plasma compared to standard care for hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the CONCOR-1 trial. (PubMed, Transfusion) - "Convalescent plasma was less effective and more costly than standard care in treating hospitalized COVID-19."

Cost effectiveness • HEOR • Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

AM23-SN-09-L - Managing the Media: Tools to Communicate with the Public Effectively (AABB 2023) - "Hot topics the media has requested clarity on include the state of the blood supply and its safety, management of critical shortages, evolving donor eligibility requirements, and the benefits and harms of convalescent plasma...The importance of establishing partnerships between hospitals, blood centers, donors, and transfusion recipients and the use of social media to amplify media interactions will be stressed. The evolving landscape of media interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic will also be covered.Learning Objectives: Demonstrate effective communication skills and techniques for a variety of media formats, including social media.Advocate for the strategic vision and goals of your organization with the media by highlighting partnerships with other organizations.Describe the importance of simplifying complex concepts using easily digestible language"

Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Convalescent Plasma Therapy in Late-State, Severe COVID-19 Infection. (PubMed, South Med J) - "This case series provides evidence that convalescent plasma may be safe and effective in late-stage, severe COVID-19 infection. Results showed clinical improvement posttransfusion as well as decreased all-cause mortality in comparison to pretransfusion predicted mortality. Randomized controlled trials are needed to conclusively determine benefits, dosage, and timing of treatment."

Journal • Critical care • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Chemosensory deficits are best predictor of serologic response among individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2. (PubMed, PLoS One) - "Subjective chemosensory dysfunction, as self-reported smell or taste deficiency, is highly predictive of serologic response following SARS-CoV-2 infection. This information may be useful for patient counseling. Additional longitudinal research should be performed to better understand the onset and duration of the serologic response in these patients."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Access to and safety of COVID-19 convalescent plasma in the United States Expanded Access Program: A national registry study. (PubMed, PLoS Med) - P=N/A | "These results suggest that the EAP provided widespread access to COVID-19 convalescent plasma in all 50 states, including for underserved racial and ethnic minority populations. The study design of the EAP may serve as a model for future efforts when broad access to a treatment is needed in response to an emerging infectious disease."

Clinical • Journal • Genetic Disorders • Immunology • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Obesity • Respiratory Diseases

Clinical Practice Guidelines From the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB): COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma. (PubMed, Ann Intern Med) - "The AABB suggests against prophylactic CCP transfusion for uninfected persons with close contact exposure to a person with COVID-19 (weak recommendation, low-certainty evidence). CCP is most effective when transfused with high neutralizing titers to infected patients early after symptom onset."

Clinical guideline • Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Beyond COVID-19 and lessons learned in the United States. (PubMed, Transfus Med) - "The blood community found itself in uncharted territory responding to restriction of its access to donors (approximately 20% decrease) and some supplies; environmental adjustments to address staff and donor concerns about coronavirus transmission; and the development of a new product (COVID-19 convalescent plasma [CCP]). In assuring that the needs of the patients were paramount, the donation process was safe, that clinicians had access to CCP, and vendor relationships aligned, the blood banking community relearned its primary focus: improving patient outcomes."

Journal • Review • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Convalescent plasma - An insight into a novel treatment of covid-19 ICU patients. (PubMed, Transfus Apher Sci) - "Amongst the convalescent plasma transfused ICU patients, females, having blood group B, and an average length of stay of fewer than 20 days had a better chance of survival. The patients given tocilizumab and convalescent plasma had a better chance of survival compared to tocilizumab alone."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

SARS-CoV-2 prolonged infection during advanced HIV disease evolves extensive immune escape. (PubMed, Cell Host Microbe) - "We longitudinally tracked the evolved virus and tested it against self-plasma and convalescent plasma from ancestral, Beta, and Delta infections. It showed substantial but incomplete Pfizer BNT162b2 escape, weak neutralization by self-plasma, and despite pre-dating Delta, it also showed extensive escape of Delta infection-elicited neutralization. This example is consistent with the notion that SARS-CoV-2 evolving in individual immune-compromised hosts, including those with advanced HIV disease, may gain immune escape of vaccines and enhanced escape of Delta immunity, and this has implications for vaccine breakthrough and reinfections."

Journal • Human Immunodeficiency Virus • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Convalescent plasma for hospitalized patients with COVID-19: an open-label, randomized controlled trial. (PubMed, Nat Med) - P3 | "Convalescent plasma did not reduce the risk of intubation or death at 30 d in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Transfusion of convalescent plasma with unfavorable antibody profiles could be associated with worse clinical outcomes compared to standard care."

Clinical • Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Emergence of Multiple SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Escape Variants in an Immunocompromised Host Undergoing Convalescent Plasma Treatment. (PubMed, mSphere) - "In this study, we report the emergence of five different NTD and RBD mutations in an uncommon SARS-CoV-2 B.1.369 lineage from an immunosuppressed patient undergoing steroid and convalescent plasma therapy. The observation highlighted that VOCs can independently arise in immunocompromised populations undergoing anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapy, and enhanced measures will be required to reduce the transmission."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Emergence and expansion of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 after identification in New York. (PubMed, Nature) - "This variant is partially or completely resistant to two therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in clinical use and less susceptible to neutralization by convalescent plasma or vaccinee sera, posing a modest antigenic challenge...Such transmission dynamics, together with the relative antibody resistance of its E484K sub-lineage, probably contributed to the sharp rise and rapid spread of B.1.526. Although SARS-CoV-2 B.1.526 initially outpaced B.1.1.7 in the region, its growth subsequently slowed concurrent with the rise of B.1.1.7 and ensuing variants."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

[VIRTUAL] AM21-56 COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma: Impact on Donation Safety and Eligibility (AABB 2021) - "Join this session to learn about new insights on donor hemovigilance gleaned from recent efforts collecting CCP. Learning Objectives Define acceptance criteria for collection of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) and variations between organizations screening for suitable donors Identify challenges encountered by blood centers with the collection of CCP donors related to the impact of unique eligibility requirements List examples of common blood center protocols to improve donation safety during the COVID-19 pandemic Recognize differences in risks factors for donor adverse events (DAEs) in CCP donors compared to conventional plasma donors identified in a large multicenter study"

Clinical • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Pain • Respiratory Diseases

[VIRTUAL] AM21-58 COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donor Recruitment, Collection, and Use (AABB 2021) - "The use and efficacy of CCP to treat COVID-19 in different patient populations will be summarized. Learning Objectives Describe issues and difficulties around recruiting and retaining COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different methodologies used in measuring COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) antibody levels Summarize the difference between COVID-19 overall antibody level and COVID-19 neutralizing antibody levels and which donors have better overall and/or neutralizing antibodies Describe the differences in COVID-19 antibody levels in donors based upon gender, ethnicity, region, and time since infection Describe the correlation between the donor's CCP antibody level and the clinical impact/outcome for the recipient."

Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

ABO blood type analysis of the donors of convalescent plasma after COVID-19 infection in Chelyabinsk region, Russia. (PubMed, Vox Sang) - No abstract available

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

The safety of COVID-19 convalescent plasma donation: A multi-institutional donor hemovigilance study. (PubMed, Transfusion) - "The safety of CCP donation appears comparable to that of conventional apheresis plasma donation with similar associated risk factors for DAE types and severity."

Clinical • Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

Plasma Therapy of COVID-19 in Severely Ill Patients (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2; N=223; Completed; Sponsor: Max O'Donnell; Recruiting ➔ Completed; Trial completion date: Apr 2021 ➔ Dec 2020

Clinical • Trial completion • Trial completion date • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

A randomized double-blind controlled trial of convalescent plasma in adults with severe COVID-19. (PubMed, J Clin Invest) - P2 | "In adults hospitalized with severe COVID-19, use of convalescent plasma was not associated with significant improvement in clinical status at day 28. However, a significant improvement in mortality was observed, which warrants further evaluation."

Clinical • Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Characteristics of COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Donors and Donations in the New York Metropolitan Area. (PubMed, Transfusion) - "We identify donor characteristics not previously reported to correlate with Ab titer. Our analysis should assist with donor outreach strategies, blood center operating logistics, and recruitment of high titer donors."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Obesity • Respiratory Diseases

Increased resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variant P.1 to antibody neutralization. (PubMed, Cell Host Microbe) - "We report that another emergent variant from Brazil, P.1, is not only refractory to multiple neutralizing monoclonal antibodies but also more resistant to neutralization by convalescent plasma and vaccinee sera...The functional impact of P.1 mutations thus appears to arise from local changes instead of global conformational alterations. The P.1 variant threatens current antibody therapies but less so protective vaccine efficacy."

Journal • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease • Respiratory Diseases

Plasma Therapy of COVID-19 in Severely Ill Patients (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2; N=219; Recruiting; Sponsor: Max R. O'Donnell; N=105 ➔ 219

Clinical • Enrollment change • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

[VIRTUAL] COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma - State of the Research (AABB 2020) - "Describe current research findings. Describe future research initiatives."

Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

[VIRTUAL] Rapid Implementation of a COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Program (AABB 2020) - "Rapid implementation and scale up of a CCP donation program was realized. We are currently able to meet the needs of hospitals in our regions including support of various clinical trials, as well as contribute to the national distribution of CCP. As focus changes, CCP can employed to the production of hyperimmune globulin."

Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease

[VIRTUAL] Blood Donor Surveillance of Sars-Cov-2 Seroreactivity (AABB 2020) - "Donations from COVID-19 convalescent plasma donors were excluded... Modest increases in seroreactivity from baseline were found in all sites, with the largest increase in NYC. SARS-CoV-2 antibody testing of routinely obtained blood donor samples allows for detection of asymptomatic and recovered COVID-19 cases and enables future estimation of infection incidence by geographic and other demographic parameters. This approach will be used in a significantly expanded CDC National serosurveillance study involving all 50 states over 18 months."

Late-breaking abstract • Infectious Disease • Novel Coronavirus Disease