Viral safety of a new highly purified factor VIII (OCTATE)

The inactivation of both transfusion‐relevant and model viruses by modified pasteurisation (10 hours at 63°C in solution) has been evaluated following the established guidelines of the EU CPMP Ad Hoc Working Party on Biotechnology/Pharmacy. This heat treatment was introduced into the manufacturing process of OCTAVI, a very high purity factor VIII concentrate stabilised only by von Willebrand factor, in the presence of a proprietary mixture of low molecular weight stabilisers. Both enveloped (human immunodeficiency virus, Sindbis virus, herpes simplex virus, pseudorabies virus) and nonenveloped viruses (poliovirus, Coxsackievirus, hepatitis A virus) were inactivated by this heating step by more than 4.7 log10. The combination of the solvent/detergent step used in the manufacture of OCTAVI with this modified pasteurisation leads to a double virus‐inactivated factor VIII concentrate (OCTATE) with a viral safety distinctly superior to monoinactivated products. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.