How a rare drug made from scientists’ blood saves babies from botulism

By JONEL ALECCIA Associated Press When Alessandro Barbera was rushed to a California hospital with infant botulism in October his father had barely heard of the condition never mind the rare and costly cure that likely saved the newborn s life Now however Tony Barbera is deeply grateful for BabyBIG the sole antidote to the paralyzing and potentially deadly illnesses linked to contaminated ByHeart infant formula It is hugely remarkable declared Barbera whose son is slowly recovering The botulism outbreak tied to ByHeart formula has sickened at least babies across in states since August and demonstrated the value of the rehabilitation made from blood plasma donated by a small group of scientists and other helpers This is almost like a miracle noted Dr Vijay Viswanath a pediatric neurologist at Children s Hospital Los Angeles who has treated several children with botulism during his career including one in the current outbreak Prior to the discovery of BabyBIG chosen of these hospitalizations would take two or three months Viswanath announced if infected children recovered at all Licensed in BabyBIG is the brand name for human botulism immune globulin an IV medication that uses antibodies from helpers vaccinated against botulism to help babies too young to fight the complaint on their own A glass incident displaying a vial of BabyBIG the restoration for infant botulism is shown on Nov in Aos Altos Calif AP Photo Terry Chea Therapy relies on donors The recovery was the brainchild of the late Dr Stephen Arnon who was a scientist with the California Department of Constituents Wellness In Arnon and colleagues identified the rare form of botulism that affects infants younger than and then spent his -year career figuring out how to treat it The sickness occurs when babies ingest botulism spores that germinate in the intestine and produce a dangerous toxin that attacks the nervous system More than children worldwide have been treated with BabyBIG since Arnon and his band conducted a pivotal clinical trial in California in that indicated the medication could shorten hospital stays and reduce the need for breathing machines Related Articles Gov Healey demands congressional Republicans extend Obamacare tax credits Massachusetts worker in stone countertop industry is state s first situation of devastating life-altering infection Medicaid work rules exempt the medically frail Deciding who qualifies is tricky Affordable Care Act enrollment is slightly ahead of last year so far despite expiring subsidies AI vs AI Patients deploy bots to battle strength insurers that deny care Produced in small batches every five years BabyBIG costs nearly per healing according to the California Infant Botulism Healing and Prevention Scheme which Arnon founded Under state law fees from the sale of the drug are used only to fund the botulism operation The medication relies on donors like Nancy Shine a -year-old retired biochemist in California who was vaccinated against botulism because she worked with the lethal germ in a lab Arnon first recruited Shine and other scientists for the BabyBIG project two decades ago because their blood produced high levels of antibodies the blood proteins that neutralize the botulism toxin The early protocol required the contributors to receive boosters doses of an investigational botulism vaccine also used by the U S military and then undergo a procedure that harvests the blood plasma that contains antibodies against botulism types A and B It was not very pleasant to be vaccinated with Shine recalled There were a lot of side effects like big welts where you got vaccinated and a little bit of pain Still Shine contributed to three batches of the antitoxin produced between and It s possibly the highlight of my career that I in fact was able to participate in this project and donate plasma Shine disclosed We made a product that could save infants lives A glass development displaying a vial of BabyBIG the medicine for infant botulism is shown on Nov in Aos Altos Calif AP Photo Terry Chea Growth faced hurdles Because infant botulism is rare with fewer than cases communicated in the U S each year finding funding and other information to develop the BabyBIG recovery took nearly years and million and faced substantial hurdles Arnon noted in a article Nowadays about people on average provide plasma for each batch of BabyBIG California strength agents revealed Batch the latest edition is being manufactured now at a Takeda Pharmaceutical Co plant near Los Angeles according to Giles Platford president of the company s plasma-derived therapies unit The company contracts with California executives to produce BabyBIG on a not-for-profit basis Platford noted Selected of the earliest donors like Shine have aged out of the BabyBIG initiative which collects blood from adult participants up to age New donors are accepted but they must enroll in a clinical assessment directed by the California vitality department and agree to receive a booster dose of a different investigational botulism vaccine California administrators estimate they have enough BabyBIG in reserve to last until next summer based on current projections The ByHeart outbreak is part of a worrisome rise of at least infant botulism cases treated in the U S since August announced Dr Jessica Khouri senior medicinal officer for the state scheme Shine in recent days received a booklet filled with photos and letters from families whose children have recovered from botulism after receiving BabyBIG It s really wonderful I read a couple each day she declared Every single one of them makes you want to cry The Associated Press Robustness and Science Department receives help from the Howard Hughes Medicinal Institute s Department of Science Schooling and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content