Guidance

[Withdrawn] SaBTO recommendations: pathogen reduction and bacterial screening on plasma donated for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection

Published 5 June 2020

This guidance was withdrawn on

This page has been withdrawn because it’s no longer current. Read more about living safely with coronavirus (COVID-19).

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/use-of-blood-plasma-donations-to-treat-covid-19-recommendations-from-sabto/sabto-recommendations-pathogen-reduction-and-bacterial-screening-on-plasma-donated-for-treatment-of-sars-cov-2-infection

SaBTO is satisfied that the arrangements currently in place across the UK to ensure the safety of plasma from patients who are recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection are appropriate and that neither pathogen reduction nor bacteria screening of donations is required.

Temporary removal of the permanent deferral of donation for individuals who have received a blood or blood component transfusion since January 1980 to allow patients convalescent from SARS-CoV-2 infection to donate plasma for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

SaBTO recommends that:

  1. Plasma from donors convalescent from SARS-CoV-2, who have themselves received convalescent plasma as part of their treatment, may be used for treatment of those infected with SARS-CoV-2 in approved clinical trials and, if successful, for wider treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

  2. Blood components from donors convalescent from SARS-CoV-2 who have not themselves received convalescent plasma may be used for any appropriate clinical use, provided the donor meets current donor selection criteria.

  3. Blood components from donors convalescent from SARS-CoV-2 who have themselves received convalescent plasma as part of their treatment cannot be used for transfusion to patients other than for treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

  4. These recommendations will be reviewed by SaBTO at the meeting in autumn 2020

  5. For the initial SARS-CoV-2 clinical trials, the Chief Investigators of the convalescent plasma arms of the trials should inform SaBTO immediately if there is a documented case of disease transmission from a plasma donation. SaBTO will review clinical study and hemovigilance reports into the use of SARS-CoV-2 convalescent

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