JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- With the insurgence of treatments to mitigate the spread of coronavirus throughout the United States, the Armed Forces Whole Blood Processing Laboratory East on Joint Base MDL is shipping plasma to support these efforts.
ASWBPL-East’s project to shift this key product to the National Blood Stockpile will boost the nation’s supply of COVID convalescent plasma and support Operation Warp Speed.
“A lot of the National Blood stockpile is very low because they are transfusing blood quicker than in the military,” said Sara Vasil, ASWBPL-East frozen product management team medical lab technician. “We’re doing this in hopes that we can bring their levels up so that they can use these units.”
With the intention of receiving plasma that contained antibodies to the COVID-19, the military participated in a program that stockpiled donor-patient plasma from patients positive with COVID-19 for Investigational New Drug use in 2020.
“The CCP was used as a treatment option for patients who contracted COVID-19 and were in critical condition,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Robert Pilla, ASWBPL-East director. “However, CCP was still under IND protocol at the time.”
In late 2020, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for CCP, allowing doctors to prescribe it as treatment for patients.
“The military purchased a large amount of CCP to use for military service members in case they needed it as a treatment,” said Pilla. “However, since the military is a healthy population, we did not have a high number of COVID-19 cases.”
ASWBPL-East acts as the main repository for CCP for the Department of Defense and stockpiled more than 3000 units of CCP in 2020.
“A lot of the CCP is expiring in the May to July 2021 timeframe because - when it's made - it only has a one year shelf life,” said Pilla. “So what do we do with it?”
As a solution, the Armed Service Blood Program partnered with the Blood Centers of America to transport CCP from military and DOD jurisdiction to the Operation Warp Speed stockpile.
Spc. Marissa San Antonio, ASWBPL-East frozen product management team medical lab technician, has been working alongside Pilla and Vasil in preparing the CCP for delivery to Operation Warp Speed.
“It feels really great to provide the support and be in charge of this program, organizing CCP and providing units to the Blood Center of America,” said San Antonio. “COVID-19 is still rampaging the United States and people need that help. Hopefully, the CCP will be able to help those and save some lives.”