UK: Plasma from blood donations to be used to make vital medicine

UK: Plasma from blood donations to be used to make vital medicine
August 17, 2021, 1:39 pm

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According to the BBC, plasma from blood donations in England will be used to make a vital medicine, following a rule change to reduce reliance on imported stocks.

The BBC said, that each year about 17,000 people need immunoglobulin treatment and, until recently, there was a ban on using plasma from UK  donors to safeguard against vCJD or "mad cow disease".

Officials say this precaution is no longer necessary.

A mother and son from the Wirral are among those to have had the treatment.

The BBC reported that this move will help secure NHS plasma stocks to make the antibody-based medicines, called immunoglobulins.

It added, rollout of the service will happen across England over the coming months, and NHS blood donor services elsewhere in the UK could opt to do the same.

In the mean time, the UK relies solely on plasma imports, which can be in short supply - a situation made worse by Covid.

According to the BBC, the red blood cells from donations will continue to be used as normal, so there will be no impact on donor blood stocks. Plasma is the fluid and other cells and components of whole blood.

It should be noted that the treatment can be used to help patients who cannot make antibodies themselves, or in circumstances where their bodies are not making enough antibodies, or the ones they are making don't work properly, as well as for disorders when the body's immune system is attacking itself.

Source: BBC

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