Vax-Plasma in Patients with Refractory COVID-19
In this report, experts from Mayo Clinic present results from using Vax-plasma in an immunocompromised patient with refractory COVID-19.
Vax-plasma is the convalescent plasma from patients who have recovered from natural infection and been subsequently vaccinated.
The researchers found the serum neutralizing antibody response from individuals who have been infected is enhanced after receiving a messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) vaccine and could effectively neutralize an array of COVID-19 variants.
Highlights of the report:
- Early treatment with high-titer convalescent plasma (CP) exhibits signs of efficacy.
- CP use in immunocompromised hosts unable to generate endogenous antibodies suggests a mortality benefit and rapid clinical improvement.
- One group of patients who benefit from CP therapy are those with primary or secondary B-cell deficiencies with a high risk of severe COVID-19 due to their reduced ability to produce neutralizing antibodies.
- Our report summarizes the treatment of a 68-year-old patient with a history of metastatic mantle cell lymphoma who received multiple courses of remdesivir, dexamethasone and high-titer CP to treat refractory COVID-19.
- To our knowledge, this is the first report of Vax-plasma treatment in a patient with COVID-19 unable to mount normal antibody responses to the disease.
- Use of Vax-plasma is a promising therapy that can be included in the treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients.