Research on therapeutics is accelerating as cases of COVID-19 surge across the United States.
. Demand for the antibody-rich blood product from COVID-19 patients who have recovered has been high, with an estimated 25,000 patients already transfused in the United States, Gary Disbrow, acting director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority , told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee during a hearing Thursday.
That included as many as 1,000 COVID-19 patients in a single day this past week, said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, chair of Johns Hopkins' department of molecular microbiology and immunology. He also serves as the lead investigator for two studies on convalescent plasma at Johns Hopkins.That research so far, he said, has shown convalescent plasma to be safe. Doctors have reported, but clinical trials to determine whether convalescent plasma is indeed effective are ongoing.
As part of Operation Warp Speed, the U.S. government is building a cache of the plasma, which can be frozen and stored for up to a year. "We are investing in a collection of convalescent plasma," Disbrow told the Senate subcommittee. He added there is also investment in neutralizing monoclonal antibodies, which are virus-fighting antibodies produced in a lab, and hyperimmune globulin, which is a concentrated form of antibodies.
"BARDA is involved in discussions with American Red Cross and America's Blood Centers about the possibility of ramping up collection of COVID-19 convalescent plasma," a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson wrote in an email.
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