Canadian Blood Services has announced that with the support of funding governments, plans are now underway to increase plasma collection with three proof-of-concept sites in Sudbury, ON, Lethbridge, AB, and Kelowna, B.C.
These sites will be dedicated to the collection of source plasma, which is the blood component used to make specialized medicines from the proteins in human plasma. The protein products that are derived from source plasma are used in the treatment of patients with a variety of life-threatening conditions (including primary immunodeficiency). In addition to the three sites in Sudbury, Lethbridge and Kelowna, Canadian Blood Services will continue to collect plasma through the blood collection process at other donor centres across the country. Usage of one plasma protein product, Immune globulin (Ig), has doubled internationally over the past ten years. Ig is used to treat primary immunodeficiency disorders, a group of rare chronic disorders in which part of the immune system is missing or functioning improperly. Secondary immunodeficiencies, which result from non-genetic factors such as viruses and chemotherapy, are also treated with Ig.
Canadian Blood Services has identified the decrease in plasma sufficiency – the percentage of Ig product delivered to Canadian patients that is produced from plasma collected in Canada by
Canadian Blood Services, the national agency mandated by provinces and territories to do so – as a material risk needing mitigation.
The Sudbury site will be the first to open, with collection from eligible donors expected to get underway by the Spring 2020, followed by Lethbridge in Fall 2020, and Kelowna in Spring 2021.
These locations were chosen based on criteria for optimal conditions to allow collection of voluntary, unpaid donations.
Read the media release from Canadian Blood Services. E-FR_NewsPlasmaPoC2019-08-06