GC said that it has joined the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance, composed of global blood products companies, and plans to cooperate in developing a plasma-derived hyperimmune globulin therapy for Covid-19.
The alliance, composed of Biotest, BPL, CSL Behring, LFB, Octapharma and Takeda at its inception, has recently welcomed new industry members such as ADMA Biologics, BioPharma Plasma, GC Pharma, and Sanquin.
Together, the participants will contribute specialist advisory expertise, technical guidance and in-kind support to developing and distributing a potential treatment option for Covid-19.
As part of the goal, the alliance has confirmed it will work with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) to test the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the hyperimmune therapy in adult patients with Covid-19.
The group plans to conduct a global study during the early summer.
“The hyperimmune has the potential to be one of the earliest treatment options for COVID-19, and we look forward to working with NIAID and health authorities to bring this therapy to patients as early as possible,” said Bill Mezzanotte, executive vice president of CSL Behring and co-leader of the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance.
One of the stated goals of the alliance is to be an effective partner for essential institutions such as NIAID and to develop coherent regulatory strategies that give global health authorities the confidence to streamline the approval process of the hyperimmune, Mezzanotte added.
The alliance also noted that the 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 such as Microsoft and Uber Health,” the alliance said.
By joining the alliance, GC plans to commercialize the GC5131A, a Covid-19 treatment, only in Korea and jointly develop the treatment overseas.
“As the world faces an unprecedented crisis, the company plans to actively share technologies and resources with its global peers to speed up the development of a treatment for Covid-19,” a GC official said.