COVID-19
Conditions
Keywords
severe Covid-19, severe coronavirus-2, plasma hyperimmune, convalescent plasma
Brief summary
Passive immunotherapy through plasma infusion of convalescent subjects - convalescent plasma - or hyperimmune plasma was one of the most widespread and effective anti-infective treatments in the pre-antibiotic era and one of the founding pillars of immunology, and has also been used during the SARS (2002-2003) and Ebola (2014-2016) viral epidemy for which there were no alternative immunoprophylactic or therapeutic interventions. To date, there are not proven etiological therapies for SARS-CoV-2 infection, the agent responsible for the disease called Covid-19. Among those subjected to clinical studies during the current epidemic in China, hyperimmune plasma appears to be one of the most rational and promising. The objective of this study will be to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the hyperimmune plasma administered add-on to the anti-Covid-19 treatment (standard therapy) according to clinical practice in patients with severe Covid-19 infection, compared to patients with severe Covid-19 infection treated only with standard therapy.
Detailed description
Passive immunotherapy through plasma infusion of convalescent subjects - convalescent plasma - or hyperimmune plasma was one of the most widespread and effective anti-infective treatments in the pre-antibiotic era and one of the founding pillars of immunology. Immunoprophylaxis represents an irreplaceable protection for post-exposure prevention of several viral infections such as measles, hepatitis B and rabies. Recently, the use of convalescent plasma for therapeutic purposes has been re-evaluated during the SARS (2002-2003) and Ebola (2014-2016) epidemic caused by serious viral infections for which there were no immunoprophylactic or therapeutic interventions. alternative. The results of these experimental interventions, despite the limited number and the often anecdotal character, have shown promise even if not conclusive. In the case of SARS, the first human respiratory disease caused by a Coronavirus, treatment with convalescent plasma was associated with a 23% reduction in mortality and with the best results if administered at an early stage of the disease. In addition, all the evidence available in the literature has confirmed the safety of convalescent plasma treatments, in line with what has already been observed in the transfusion practice with Fresh Frozen Plasma. As is known, there are currently no proven etiological therapies to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection, the agent responsible for the disease called Covid-19. Among those subjected to clinical studies during the current epidemic in China, hyperimmune plasma appears to be one of the most rational and promising. Waiting for the numerous clinical trials underway especially in Asia and accessible on the website http://apps.who.int/trialsearch/default.aspx to define if and to what extent this therapeutic contribution improves the prognosis of patients suffering from serious forms of infections from SARS-Co-2, the clinical guidelines of the People's Republic of China, already provide for the use of hyperimmune plasma with the indication in rapidly progressive disease, severe and very severe form and by the FDA . As regards the technical protocols for the preparation of hyperimmune plasma for clinical use in the literature, precise references are available in particular for the preparation, qualification, viral inactivation and dosage of hyperimmune plasma for the treatment of viral epidemic infections such as MERS and Ebola and which can also be validated and used for the preparation of plasma from convalescent patients for Covid-19. From the above, the objective of this study will be to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the hyperimmune plasma administered add-on to the anti-Covid-19 treatment (standard therapy) according to clinical practice in patients with severe Covid-19 infection, compared to patients with severe Covid-19 infection treated only with standard therapy.
Interventions
OTHERplasma hyperimmune
patients will receive this as add on therapy
DRUGstandard therapy
patients will receive only standard therapy for Covid-19 infection
Sponsors
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Mater Domini, Catanzaro
Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale Di Catanzaro
Annunziata Hospital, Cosenza, Italy
Azienda Ospedaliera Bianchi-Melacrino-Morelli
University of Catanzaro
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* inclusion criteria for donors: null-gravid, with a negative history of transfusion of blood components; possibility to sign the informed consent * inclusion criteria for Covid-19 infected patients: serious Covid-19 infection, possibility to sign the informed consent (also through the legal tutor)
Exclusion criteria
*
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| decrease in mortality | 30 days | Statistically significant reduction (P \<0.05) of mortality in the group of patients treated with hyperimmune plasma vs patients treated with standard therapy. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| PCR levels vs control | 7 and 14 days | Statistically significant reduction (P \<0.05) of plasma levels of reactive protein C (expressed as mg/L), 7 and 14 days after the start of treatment with hyperimmune plasma vs standard therapy (group control) |
| PCR levels vs before treatment | 7 and 14 days | Statistically significant reduction (P \<0.05) of plasma levels of reactive protein C (expressed as mg/L), 7 and 14 days after the start of treatment with hyperimmune plasma vs the same patients before the beginning of the treatment |
| lymphocytes | 7 and 14 days | Statistically significant increase (P \<0.05) of lymphocyte levels after 7 and 14 days after the start of treatment with hyperimmune plasma (treated group), compared to the control group. |
| Inflammatory cytokines vs controls | 7 and 14 days | Statistically significant reduction (P \<0.05) of plasma levels of IL-6 (expressed as pg/mL) and TNF-alpha (expressed as pg/mL), 7 and 14 days after the start of treatment with hyperimmune plasma vs standard therapy (group control) |
| Inflammatory cytokines vs before treatment | 7 and 14 days | Statistically significant reduction (P \<0.05) of plasma levels of IL-6 (expressed as pg/mL) and TNF-alpha (expressed as pg/mL), 7 and 14 days after the start of treatment with hyperimmune plasma vs the same patients before the beginning of the treatment |
| AB levels and clinical improvement | 30 days | Significant Correlation (P\<0.05) between hyperimmune plasma antibody levels and clinical improvement time (expressed in days) |
Countries
Italy
Contacts
Primary ContactGabriella Talarico, MD
Outcome results
None listed