Immunoglobulin products

Plasma-derived immunoglobulin is used for an increasingly wide range of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases in addition to its traditional uses for the prevention of infection and for antibody replacement and augmentation therapy in immune deficiency diseases. Mild reactions to intravenous route (IVIG) infusions are common, occurring in 15–20% of infusions and in 50% of patients at one time or another. Many reviews of "the" mechanism of action of IVIG focus on laboratory data showing putative immunomodulatory effects involving networks of T cells, B cells, and cytokines. Hyperimmune globulins are made from plasma obtained from normal subjects with high titers of antibodies to the desired microbe orantigen detected by screening or because they are convalescing or have been repeatedly immunized. Modern preparations are highly purified and contain stabilizers designed to prevent aggregate formation, and thus can be given intravenously or subcutaneously with relative freedom from severe systemic adverse reactions.