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REVIEW ARTICLE                      BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH, 2025 22(2): 101-112                     OPEN ACCESS

Exploring Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG) efficacy in the Treatment of COVID-19

Abdulgader H. Albar^1,2* Feras S. Bajaba^1,3 and Bassam O. Aljohany¹

¹Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Science, Microbiology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

² Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Collage of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

³ Biology Department, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

Abstract

The management of COVID-19 and its associated problems has become exceedingly challenging. This disparity has prompted the investigation and utilization of available therapeutic options, including supportive interventions, immunomodulatory drugs, convalescent plasma transfusions, and antiviral treatments. Although several treatments have demonstrated efficacy in treating COVID-19, there is a growing emphasis on immunoglobulins, especially intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), as a valuable therapeutic option for moderate and severe cases of COVID-19. The application of IVIG in the management of COVID-19 is guided by the anti-inflammatory properties of the immunoglobulins. The principal pathophysiological observation in severe COVID-19 cases is hyperinflammation, marked by increased levels of interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-7, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, inducible protein, and interferon gamma, which signifies a cytokine cascade and cytokine release syndrome. One of them is IVIG, which is used against inflammatory, immune-mediated diseases or infectious diseases. Numerous studies assert that IVIG treatment cured COVID-19 patients. The use of IVIG as an adjuvant treatment for COVID-19 has shown encouraging outcomes. Its clinical efficacy is attributed to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects. While this is so, there exists a need for further research on the clinical efficacy of IVIG, given the use of relatively small sample sizes in the clinical trials conducted so far. This review has to show the potency of IVIG as a treatment for COVID-19. Further, other challenges that limit the use of IVIG therapy in COVID-19 include issues of cost and safety concerns that need to be addressed.