Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jan;116(1):88-98.
doi: 10.1111/vox.12973. Epub 2020 Sep 3.

Clinical use of Convalescent Plasma in the COVID-19 pandemic: a transfusion-focussed gap analysis with recommendations for future research priorities

Arwa Z Al-Riyami  1 , Richard Schäfer  2 , Karin van den Berg  3   4 , Evan M Bloch  5 , Lise J Estcourt  6 , Ruchika Goel  7   8 , Salwa Hindawi  9 , Cassandra D Josephson  10   11 , Kevin Land  12   13 , Zoe K McQuilten  14   15 , Steven L Spitalnik  16 , Erica M Wood  14   15 , Dana V Devine  17   18 , Cynthia So-Osman  19   20
Affiliations

Clinical use of Convalescent Plasma in the COVID-19 pandemic: a transfusion-focussed gap analysis with recommendations for future research priorities

Arwa Z Al-Riyami et al. Vox Sang. 2021 Jan.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Use of convalescent plasma for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment has gained interest worldwide. However, there is lack of evidence on its dosing, safety and effectiveness. Until data from clinical studies are available to provide solid evidence for worldwide applicable guidelines, there is a need to provide guidance to the transfusion community and researchers on this emergent therapeutic option. This paper aims to identify existing key gaps in current knowledge in the clinical application of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP).

Materials and methods: The International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) initiated a multidisciplinary working group with worldwide representation from all six continents with the aim of reviewing existing practices on CCP use from donor, product and patient perspectives. A subgroup of clinical transfusion professionals was formed to draft a document for CCP clinical application to identify the gaps in knowledge in existing literature.

Results: Gaps in knowledge were identified in the following main domains: study design, patient eligibility, CCP dose, frequency and timing of CCP administration, parameters to assess response to CCP treatment and long-term outcome, adverse events and CCP application in less-resourced countries as well as in paediatrics and neonates.

Conclusion: This paper outlines a framework of gaps in the knowledge of clinical deployment of CPP that were identified as being most relevant. Studies to address the identified gaps are required to provide better evidence on the effectiveness and safety of CCP use.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; convalescent plasma; gap analysis; patient outcome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Evan M. Bloch reports personal fees and non‐financial support from Terumo BCT, personal fees and non‐financial support from Grifols Diagnostics Solutions, outside of the submitted work; EMB is a member of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Blood Products Advisory Committee. Any views or opinions that are expressed in this manuscript are that of the author's, based on his own scientific expertise and professional judgment; they do not necessarily represent the views of either the Blood Products Advisory Committee or the formal position of FDA and also do not bind or otherwise obligate or commit either Advisory Committee or the Agency to the views expressed. Dana Devine a member of the scientific advisory board of Macopharma and received research support from TerumoBCT, Hemanext and Macopharma.

References

    1. World Health Organization : Coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) outbreak. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/emergencies/covid‐19. Published 2020. [Last accessed 1st May, 2020]
    1. Zhang JS, Chen JT, Liu YX, et al: A serological survey on neutralizing antibody titer of SARS convalescent sera. J Med Virol 2005; 77:147–150 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Casadevall A, Pirofski L‐A: The convalescent sera option for containing COVID‐19. J Clin Investig 2020; 130:1545–1548 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rojas M, Rodríguez Y, Monsalve DM, et al: Convalescent plasma in Covid‐19: possible mechanisms of action. Autoimmun Rev 2020; 19:102554 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gallagher JR: Use of convalescent measles serum to control measles in a preparatory school. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1935; 25:595–598 - PMC - PubMed