The CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price will be one to watch on Tuesday.
This follows the announcement of a new partnership with rival Takeda Pharmaceutical and other leading plasma companies to fight COVID-19.
What did CSL announce?
The biotherapeutics company has revealed that Biotest, BPL, LFB, and Octapharma have joined an alliance formed by CSL Behring and Takeda Pharmaceutical to develop a potential plasma-derived therapy for treating COVID-19.
According to the release, the alliance will begin immediately with the investigational development of one, unbranded anti-SARS-CoV-2 polyclonal hyperimmune immunoglobulin medicine with the potential to treat individuals with serious complications from COVID-19.
The therapy will use plasma donations from individuals who have fully recovered from the respiratory virus and whose blood contains antibodies that fight COVID-19.
Once collected, this convalescent plasma would then be transported to manufacturing facilities where it undergoes proprietary processing, including effective virus inactivation and removal processes, and then is purified into the product.
"Bold moves."
Julie Kim, Takeda's President of Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit, said: "Unprecedented times call for bold moves. We collectively agree that by collaborating and bringing industry resources together, we could accelerate bringing a potential therapy to market as well as increase the potential supply. We invite companies and institutions focusing on plasma to support or join our alliance."
CSL Behring's Executive Vice President, Bill Mezzanotte, echoed this sentiment.
He said: "Leaders lead during uncertainty. There is no question that we are all experiencing the impact of COVID-19. This effort aims to accelerate a reliable, scalable and sustainable option for caregivers to treat patients suffering from the impact of COVID-19."
"In addition to pooling industry resources, we will also collaborate with government and academic efforts as a single alliance whenever we can, including important activities like clinical trials. This will make it more efficient in these hectic times for these stakeholders as well," he added.
Experts from the alliance will now begin collaborating across key aspects such as plasma collections, clinical trial development and manufacturing. Further companies and institutions may join the alliance in the future.
