Abstract
BACKGROUND: The manufacturing process of a new intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) 10% liquid product incorporates two dedicated pathogen safety steps: solvent/detergent (S/D) treatment and nanofiltration (20 nm). Ion-exchange chromatography (IEC) during protein purification also contributes to pathogen safety. The ability of these three process steps to inactivate/remove viruses and prions was evaluated. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to evaluate the virus and prion safety of the new IVIG 10% liquid. METHODS: Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), mouse encephalomyelitis virus (MEV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), and pseudorabies virus (PRV) were used as models for common human viruses. The hamster-adapted scrapie strain 263K (HAS 263K) was used for transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. Virus clearance capacity and robustness of virus reduction were determined for the three steps. Abnormal prion protein (PrP(Sc)) removal and infectivity of the samples was determined. RESULTS: S/D treatment and nanofiltration inactivated/removed enveloped viruses to below detection limits. IEC supplements viral safety and nanofiltration was highly effective in removing non-enveloped viruses and HAS 263K. Overall virus reduction factors were: ≥9.4 log(10) (HIV-1), ≥13.2 log(10) (PRV), ≥8.2 log(10) (BVDV), ≥11.7 log(10) (MEV), ≥11.6 log(10) (PPV), and ≥10.4 log(10) (HAS 263K). CONCLUSION: Two dedicated and one supplementing steps in the manufacturing process of the new IVIG 10% liquid provide a high margin of pathogen safety.