On May 7, 2020, the CoVId-19 Plasma Alliance, an unprecedented plasma industry collaboration recently established to accelerate the development of a plasma-derived hyperimmune globulin therapy for COVID-19, announced Its membership has expanded globally to include 10 plasma companies, and also includes global organizations from outside the plasma industry who are providing vital support to encourage more people to donate plasma.

In addition to those announced at its inception – Biotest, BPL, CSL Behring, LFB, Octapharma and Takeda – the Alliance welcomes new industry members ADMA Biologics, BioPharma Plasma, GC Pharma, and Sanquin. Together, these organizations will contribute specialist advisory expertise, technical guidance and/or in-kind support to contribute to the Alliance goal of accelerating development and distribution of a potential treatment option for COVID-19.

In parallel, the Alliance has confirmed it will work with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the NIH to test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the hyperimmune therapy in adult patients with COVID-19. This global study is currently anticipated to start in the summer
and will form the foundation for the potential regulatory approval of the hyperimmune therapy.

Key to developing this potential hyperimmune globulin treatment is the collection of convalescent plasma. To amplify awareness, the Alliance has gained support from large organizations outside of the plasma industry. Examples of those offering resources to the Alliance include Microsoft and Uber Health. Microsoft is providing technology support, including the Alliance website and the Plasmabot for donor recruitment. The Plasmabot streamlines the process for a potential donor to quickly gain information about their nearest collection center from across the member network. In parallel, Uber Health has agreed to donate 25,000 round-trip rides to transport potentially eligible donors to and from plasma collection centers. These rides will be coordinated by the plasma collection center directly for individuals with confirmed appointments.

The success of the CoVig-19 program depends heavily right now on the support of people across the world to donate convalescent plasma.