Convalescent Plasma for Early Treatment of COVID-19

There are no approved therapies for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Exposure to viruses results in an adaptive immune response that commonly include antibodies with neutralization activity. Plasma from subjects who have recovered from viral infections has been used to both prevent or treat disease. Notable examples of the successful use of convalescent plasma (CP) include influenza, measles, Argentine hemorrhagic fever, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), Ebola and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In recent work in China, an open label safety trial of CP in patients with COVID-19 suggested a substantive benefit.