There is an international rush to develop vaccines and treatment options for the COVID-19 and effective treatments are crucial for curing patients. An IoL report says as a cornerstone of the healthcare fraternity in South Africa, the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) and the Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS) are exploring ways to use blood plasma for the treatment of COVID-19 patients locally.
They are quoted in the report as saying: “Research forms a large part of our operations and following the recent approval from our Human Research Ethics Committee we will, in the next few weeks, start collecting convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19. This convalescent plasma will be used in phase 2 clinical trials to confirm whether this therapy will be of benefit to patients admitted to hospitals with pneumonia caused by the virus. It is noteworthy that the treatment will primarily be in the experimental phase, with the roll-out being a priority.”
The report says convalescent plasma, plasma collected from patients who have recovered from a viral infection, has long been used as a way to treat patients still critically ill from the same viral infection. This plasma, which contains neutralising antibodies, provides passive immunity to an infected patient, significantly improving their clinical status often helping them to recover quicker. It has not yet been widely used in the South African context.
Such therapy was explored for patients in West-Africa for the treatment of the Ebola Virus and before that, it was successfully used to treat SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. The development of COVID-19 antibody treatments will, however, take several months to complete.
IoL reports that SANBS intends to start collecting convalescent plasma from donors who have fully recovered from COVID-19. To be eligible to donate, 28 days must have elapsed since the patients last exhibited symptoms of infection. This gives the patient time to develop sufficient antibodies to be therapeutic and to have fully recovered from the disease, which minimises the risk of such patients still being able to transmit the virus. Initially, these plasma products will only be issued in patients participating in SAHPRA approved phase II clinical trials.
The report says while there are still no specific medications approved to treat COVID-19, work has commenced worldwide on convalescent plasma harvested from people who have recovered from the infection.
The SANBS said it “is uniquely positioned to both collect and collaborate in clinical trials of convalescent plasma that will subsequently be used in patients hospitalised with COVID-19, in the hope that it will reduce mortality and result in quicker recovery.”
[link url="https://www.iol.co.za/news/partnered/the-sanbs-begins-research-on-convalescent-plasma-for-the-treatment-of-covid-19-47809812"]Full IoL report[/link]