Reduced risk of infections with the intravenous immunoglobulin, IgPro10, in patients at risk of secondary immunodeficiency-related infections

Aim: Patients with secondary immunodeficiency (SID) are at increased risk of infections and may be treated with immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT). Despite growing efficacy evidence for IgRT in infection prevention in SID, treatment guidelines are not aligned. Materials & methods: A retrospective database analysis was conducted to assess treatment patterns and infection rates in patients at risk of SID-related infections, with or without IgRT (IgPro10) exposure, to evaluate real-world effectiveness of IgRT in infection prevention. Results: Of 11,448 patients included, 222 received IgPro10. B-cell malignancies and solid organ transplants were the predominant underlying conditions. Despite being sicker at baseline, the IgPro10 cohort demonstrated fewer infections post-index than the non-IgRT cohort. Conclusion: IgPro10 may be an effective option for infection prevention in SID. Plain language summary Secondary immunodeficiency (SID) occurs when the immune system is weakened by external factors, including certain medical treatments. It can leave a person with an increased risk of potentially serious or even fatal infections, as they no longer have adequate defenses against bacteria. Some patients with this condition require treatment to boost their immune system, including supplementation of their antibodies, known as immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT). In this study, we explored whether: (1) patients with conditions that are at risk of SID and associated infections received immunoglobin replacement therapy; and (2) whether receiving the IgRT reduced the incidence of infections. We found that patients who had IgRT were much less likely to experience infections than those who did not receive immunoglobulin replacement, suggesting that IgRT may be an effective treatment option for preventing infections in patients with compromised immune systems caused by SID.