Background: There is an urgent need for highly efficacious antiviral therapies in immunosuppressed hosts who develop coronavirus disease (COVID-19), with special concern for those affected by hematological malignancies.
Case presentation: Here, we report the case of a 75-year-old male with chronic lymphocytic leukemia who was deficient in CD19+CD20+ B-lymphocyte populations due to previous treatment with anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies. The patient presented with severe COVID-19 pneumonia due to prolonged severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and was treated with two courses of the antiviral plitidepsin on a compassionate use basis. The patient subsequently achieved an undetectable viral load, and his pneumonia resolved.
Conclusions: Treatment with plitidepsin was well-tolerated without any further hematological or cardiovascular toxicities. This case further supports plitidepsin as a potential antiviral drug in SARS-CoV-2 patients affected by immune deficiencies and hematological malignancies.
Keywords: Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody; Chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Covid-19; Plitidepsin; Prolonged viral replication; SARS-CoV-2.
© 2021. The Author(s).