Your browser doesn't support javascript.
Pilot study of an occupational healthcare program to assess the SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune status of employees in a large pharmaceutical company.
Moroni-Zentgraf, Petra C; Keller, Christoph; Mahmoudi, Mazyar; Kallsen, Kimberley; Eschenfelder, Christoph C; Sigmund, Ralf; Müller, Hanns Walter; Baum, Patrick; Boos, Bertram; Schneider, Michael; Mundt, Egbert.
  • Moroni-Zentgraf PC; Human Pharma Medicine, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Keller C; HP Country Pharmacovigilance, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Mahmoudi M; Human Pharmacology Centre, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
  • Kallsen K; Global Patient Advocacy Relations, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Eschenfelder CC; Human Pharma Medicine, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Sigmund R; Biostatistics and Data Sciences, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
  • Müller HW; Non-clinical Statistics, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Baum P; Translational Medicine and Clinical Pharmacology, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach an der Riss, Germany.
  • Boos B; Occupational Health and Medical Services, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Schneider M; Occupational Health and Medical Services, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Ingelheim, Germany.
  • Mundt E; New Biological Entities, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health France SCS, Saint-Priest, France.
Curr Med Res Opin ; 37(6): 939-947, 2021 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1174783
ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE:

To safeguard key workers involved in development and production of medicines and ensure business continuity, we developed an occupational healthcare program, performed by our company's occupational healthcare services, to assess the infection and immune status for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This pilot program, conducted at our company facilities, evaluated the suitability of diagnostic tools in our setting for program upscaling.

METHODS:

We used different marketed in vitro diagnostics (including tests for antibodies against spike protein subunits S1 and S2 and nucleocapsid [N] protein) combined with medical history, symptoms and likelihood of infection. We evaluated the testing strategy over four visits in 141 employees (known positive COVID-19 history, n = 20; unknown status, n = 121) between April and June 2020 at four company locations in Germany. Digital self-monitoring over the pilot program duration was also included.

RESULTS:

No incident infections were detected. Based on immune status, medical history and likelihood of infection, 10 participants (8.3%) with previously unknown history of COVID-19 were identified to have been infected before entering the program. These participants, who recalled no or mild symptoms in the preceding months, were primarily identified using an assay that detected both S1 and S2 immunoglobulin (Ig) G. The frequency of positive lateral flow assay (LFA) results (IgM or IgG directed against the N-protein) in this cohort was lower compared with participants with a known history of COVID-19 (0‒10.8% vs. 33.8‒75.7%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

Data from this pilot program suggest that LFA for antibodies may not always reliably detect current, recent or past infections; consequently, these have not been included in our upscaled occupational healthcare program. Regular testing strategies for viral RNA and antibodies directed against different SARS-CoV-2 proteins, combined with hygiene rules and a comprehensive baseline assessment, are recommended to ensure avoidance of infections at workplace as reliably as possible.
Subject(s)
Keywords

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Status / Occupational Health / Health Personnel / Drug Industry / COVID-19 Type of study: Cohort study / Diagnostic study / Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: Curr Med Res Opin Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: 03007995.2021.1914943

Similar

MEDLINE

...
LILACS

LIS


Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Health Status / Occupational Health / Health Personnel / Drug Industry / COVID-19 Type of study: Cohort study / Diagnostic study / Experimental Studies / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Humans Language: English Journal: Curr Med Res Opin Year: 2021 Document Type: Article Affiliation country: 03007995.2021.1914943