COVID-19 series: Convalescent plasma therapy as a potential lifeline for the sick

COVID-19 series: Convalescent plasma therapy as a potential lifeline for the sick

I have come across a lot of speculations regarding potential medication therapy options for the new coronavirus. But what about convalescent plasma therapy? The concept started when doctors first used it against diphtheria in the 1890s and have been continuously used in other recent health crises, such as the SARS epidemic in 2003, 2009-2010 H1N1 influenza virus pandemic and the 2012 MERS-CoV epidemic.

Now that we know it has been previously studied and it is considered a promising therapy option, how does convalescent plasma therapy work? Patients that have recovered from the coronavirus produce proteins that can fight the infection, or antibodies, that circulate in the person's blood and they now have the molecular defenses to fight the virus off (immunity). Through convalescent plasma therapy, the plasma from a recovered patient is transferred to a person who is currently sick so their immune system can have a boost with the aid of these proteins and be able to fight better the infection.

Although this concept is not yet approved by the FDA because it lacks safety and efficacy data from clinical trials, it is promising. A recent case series trial in Shenzhen, China demonstrated how 5 critically ill coronavirus patients were treated with convalescent plasma therapy, along with antiviral medications and steroids. All of the patients followed a clinical improvement, but it is very important to mention the study has its limitations. We should all be aware that our bodies react differently when it comes to fighting diseases, but this data demonstrates that it has the potential to work and it should definitely continue to be studied in order to attain relevant safety and efficacy data.

On the other hand, Arturo Casadevall, MD, Ph.D., an expert in infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins,  proposed the use of convalescent plasma therapy to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients as well as to carry out a prophylaxis trial. Recently, the interdisciplinary team has been granted FDA approval to perform such a study with the purpose of treating the critically ill as well as to protect health care providers, first responders, and people at high risk of getting infected.

All of this information is just a basic glimpse of what this investigational therapy is and some of the things that are currently happening associated with it. If you are more visual, (like I am)would check this video out from WSJ's Daniela Hernandez for more information.


References

The Wall Street Journal. Why Blood from Coronavirus Survivors Could be a Lifeline for the Sick. https://www.wsj.com/video/why-blood-from-coronavirus-survivors-could-be-a-lifeline-for-the-sick/A2B7F562-2101-4D27-8F4A-DBDB07B35009.html?mod=trending_now_video_2 (accessed 2020 Apr 15)

The Washington Post. Plasma from Recovered Patients Could Help Treat COVID-19 Until We Find a Vaccine. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/07/plasma-recovered-patients-could-help-treat-covid-19-until-we-find-vaccine/

Shen C, Wang Z, Zhao F et al. Treatment of 5 Critically Ill With COVID-19 With Convalescent Plasma. JAMA. 2020; 4783. 

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Recommendations for Investigational COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/investigational-new-drug-ind-or-device-exemption-ide-process-cber/recommendations-investigational-covid-19-convalescent-plasma

HUB Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins gets FDA Approval to Test blood plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patients. https://hub.jhu.edu/2020/04/03/blood-plasma-sera-covid-19-fda-approval/ (accessed 2020 Apr 15)