COVID-19: benefits and risks of passive immunotherapeutics

Passive immunotherapeutics (PITs), including convalescent plasma, serum, or hyperimmune immunoglobulin, have been of clinical importance during sudden outbreaks since the early twentieth century for the treatment of viral diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) and swine flu (H1N1). With the recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, wherein effective antivirals and vaccines are still lacking, an interest in convalescent plasma therapy as a lifesaving option has resurfaced due to its capacity for antigenic neutralization and reducing viremia. This review summarizes convalescent blood products (CBPs) in terms of current technologies and the shortcomings related to the collection, manufacture, pathogen inactivation, and banking of CBPs, with a specific focus on their plausible applications, benefits, and risks in the COVID-19 pandemic.