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GUIDANCE DOCUMENT

Investigational COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Guidance for Industry October 2023

Final
Docket Number:
FDA-2020-D-1825
Issued by:
Guidance Issuing Office
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

FDA plays a critical role in protecting the United States (U.S.) from threats such as emerging infectious diseases, including the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.  FDA is committed to providing timely guidance to support response efforts to emerging threats. 

On August 23, 2020, FDA issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA)  for COVID-19 convalescent plasma for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.  FDA subsequently reissued this EUA with revisions.  Most recently, FDA revised the EUA to limit authorization to the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma with high titers of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies for the treatment of COVID-19 in patients with immunosuppressive disease or receiving immunosuppressive treatment in either the outpatient or inpatient setting.   FDA recognizes that while COVID-19 convalescent plasma may be used under an EUA consistent with the authorization, COVID-19 convalescent plasma may also be used under an investigational new drug application (IND).  For the purposes of this guidance, the term “COVID-19 convalescent plasma” refers to the convalescent plasma authorized under the EUA, while the term “investigational convalescent plasma” refers to convalescent plasma that does not meet all the conditions of the EUA and/or is being used under an IND.

FDA is issuing this guidance to provide recommendations to health care providers and investigators on the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma or investigational convalescent plasma.  The guidance also provides recommendations to blood establishments on collection.  This document supersedes the guidance of the same title issued in January 2022 (previous versions February 2021, January 2021, November 2020, September 2020, May 2020, and April 2020).  The recommendations in this guidance are unchanged from the January 2022 guidance.  However, we have removed the language limiting the duration of the policy in the guidance to the public health emergency related to COVID-19 declared by HHS in accordance with section 319(a)(2) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) (42 U.S.C. 247d(a)(2)), which expired on May 11, 2023.

 


Submit Comments

You can submit online or written comments on any guidance at any time (see 21 CFR 10.115(g)(5))

If unable to submit comments online, please mail written comments to:

Dockets Management
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, Rm 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

All written comments should be identified with this document's docket number: FDA-2020-D-1825.

Questions?

Contact Point
Office of Communication, Outreach and Development (OCOD)
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research
Food and Drug Administration
10903 New Hampshire Ave WO71-3128
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002
ocod@fda.hhs.gov
(800) 835-4709
(240) 402-8010
 
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