Blood plasma donations resume after ban is lifted

DONATIONS of blood plasma in England for use in the manufacture of medicines have begun after the lifting of a ban which lasted for more than two decades.

Volunteers can now donate at 14 centres across the country – the Midlands centres being in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton – and the service will run initially for three months.

Donations will be used to make antibody-based medicines, called immunoglobulins, for people with rare immune diseases.

It comes after the Government lifted a ban in February imposed in 1998 amid concerns about the spread of a human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said around 17,000 people needed immunoglobin therapy in 2018/19 for a range of diseases and genetic disorders.

These included immune disorders such as common variable immune deficiency (CVID) and neurological disorders like Guillain–Barre syndrome and myasthenia gravis.

Amid a global supply shortage due to rising demand, the UK has previously depended on imports of blood plasma from other countries – mainly the US.

Dr Gail Miflin, chief medical officer for NHSBT, said: “Plasma is made into life-saving medicines for people with rare diseases.

“There is a growing need for plasma for medicines and a worldwide shortage of donors.”

She said a “dedicated plasmapheresis programme” would “greatly increase NHSBT’s ability to provide plasma at volume” and reduce the reliance on plasma from overseas.

More than 1,500 people, drawn from an existing blood donor base, are booked in to donate in the first week, with open recruitment to be introduced shortly.