Researchers are looking at whether hyperimmune globulin can be used in the fight against coronavirus.
Hyperimmune globulins, or plasma-derived medicines, are effective in the treatment of severe acute infections.
Healthcare company Grifols earlier this week started identifying, screening, and selecting volunteer donors who have recovered from coronavirus to donate their plasma in select U.S. cities.
The company, which is based in Barcelona, Spain, is focused on collecting plasma in "hot spot" cities, including Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Seattle, and San Diego.
The initiative is a collaboration with the FDA, the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research Authority and other federal health agencies.
"For individuals who have recovered from COVID-19, donating plasma at one of Grifols' donor centers to produce a potential treatment for the disease is a way they can help make a difference during this exceptional time," Grifols chief medical officer, Dr. Marilyn Rosa-Bray, said in a press release. "This hyperimmune globulin would offer treating physicians a predictable and consistent dosing of the antibody against the virus that causes COVID-19."
No drugs have been proven safe and effective for treating COVID-19, and members of the COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel who put together recommendations for the National Institutes of Health suggest there is "insufficient clinical data to recommend either for or against the use of the following agents for the treatment of COVID-19."