CONFIRMATION OF VIRAL SAFETY OF DRY HEATED FACTOR-VIII CONCENTRATE (8Y) PREPARED BY BIO-PRODUCTS-LABORATORY (BPL) - A REPORT ON BEHALF OF UK-HEMOPHILIA-CENTER DIRECTORS

Twenty-seven factor VIII deficient patients who had previously not been treated with blood or blood products were studied after infusion of a total of 24 batches of NHS factor VIII (8Y) concentrate produced by Bio-Products Laboratory, Elstree. Follow-up was carried out according to guidelines laid down by the International Society for Thrombosis and Haemostasis. Serial estimations of amino transferase level carried out over a 26-week per-iod revealed no elevation of these enzymes attributable to hepatitis. Studies of various virological markers found no evidence of infection with hepatitis C, hepatitis B or HIV following transfusion. This confirms a previous finding that severe dry heating of factor VIII at 80-degrees-C for 72 h seems to reduce the risk of transmitting hepatitis C from approximately 90% to a rate of 0-11%.