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Background: The effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the optimal timing of vaccine administration in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT) recipients remains inadequately investigated. We examine the effectiveness and safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in allo-HSCT recipients., Method: This prospective observational study included 44 allo-HSCT recipients and 38 healthy volunteers. The proportion of subjects acquiring anti-S1 IgG antibodies were considered as the primary endpoint. The occurrence of adverse events after vaccination and objective deterioration of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were defined as secondary endpoints. In addition, we compared the geometric mean titers (GMT) of anti-S1 antibody titers in subgroups based on time interval between transplantation and vaccination., Results: A humoral response to the vaccine was evident in 40 (91%) patients and all 38 healthy controls. The GMT of anti-S1 titers in patients and healthy controls were 277 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 120-643) BAU/mL and 532 (95% CI 400-708) BAU/mL, respectively. (p = 0.603). A short time interval between transplantation and vaccination (≤6 months) was associated with low anti-S1 IgG antibody titers. No serious adverse events and deterioration of chronic GVHD were observed. Only one case of new development of mild chronic GVHD was recorded., Conclusion: Messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines induce humoral responses in allo-HSCT recipients and can be administered safely., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Japanese Society of Chemotherapy and The Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Summary: Patients treated with anti‐CD20 antibodies for haematological disorders have insufficient immune responses to mRNA COVID‐19 vaccines; however, relevant sequential data are lacking. We sequentially evaluated the humoral and cellular immune responses in 22 patients who had received anti‐CD20 antibodies within 12 months before the first vaccination, before and after the third and fourth vaccinations. Humoral responses improved gradually, along with the resolution of B‐cell depletion. A steady increase was noted in cellular responses, regardless of the B‐cell status. Our findings suggest the potential benefit of repeated vaccinations in these patients until B‐cell recovery is confirmed while enhancing cellular responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with hematologic diseases receiving anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies show a low seroconversion rate after two doses of mRNA Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, especially within 12 months of their last anti-CD20 antibodies [[1]]. In total, while either humoral or cellular responses were identified in 22 (42%) patients after two doses of the vaccine, a third vaccination induced them in 36 (72%) patients (Fig. Ten patients were excluded from the final analysis: four patients were infected with SARS-CoV-2 before the completion of blood sampling, two patients had undocumented COVID-19 infection, two did not have blood sampling before the third vaccination, and two did not receive their third dose. [Extracted from the article]

Humoral response and safety of the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccines in patients with haematological diseases treated with anti-CD20 antibodies: An observational study Keywords: BNT162b2; COVID-19; haematological disorders; mRNA-1273; obinutuzumab; rituximab EN BNT162b2 COVID-19 haematological disorders mRNA-1273 obinutuzumab rituximab 709 713 5 06/14/22 20220615 NES 220615 In clinical trials, mRNA vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have shown remarkable efficacy and safety in healthy participants.1,2 However, patients receiving anti-CD20 antibodies, such as rituximab or obinutuzumab (R/Obi), have been shown to have a poor humoral response to mRNA vaccines, although the response improves gradually if more time has elapsed.3,4 R/Obi exerts an immunosuppressive effect through B-cell depletion, which could explain the impaired response to mRNA vaccines. Probability p < 0.001 was calculated using either the Mann-Whitney U test or the chi-squared test. (B) Anti-S1 antibody titre in patients ordered in subgroups according to time from last anti-CD20 antibody treatment to vaccination and B-cell fraction. [Extracted from the article]