PPTA has seen plasma donations fall this year. This decline is caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty felt by plasma donors. Declines in donations have the potential to restrict patients’ access to plasma derived therapies, or PDTs. Amy Efantis, PPTA, President & CEO stated that “Given the length of time to manufacture PDTs, without the needed raw material, it may become challenging at some point to supply enough PDTs to meet rare disease patients clinical needs.” Standard plasma collection remains critically important to support the needs of individuals with rare and chronic diseases. It is encouraging to see an increased awareness about the role convalescent plasma can play as a potential treatment for COVID-19 and we hope this message has a similar effect for standard plasma collection which is needed for patients with rare and chronic diseases every day.
PPTA member companies are working tirelessly to avert such a situation and to ensure that plasma donation continues to be safe. Plasma centers have been deemed “essential” by authorities in the U.S. and in Europe, and donating plasma remains safe. Efantis commented, “Our companies have implemented all measures required by authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control to ensure the safety of donors.” Efantis continued, “In fact, the measures used by our companies often go beyond those requirements to assure donors and staff of their health and safety from COVID-19 while visiting plasma centers.”
PPTA’s urgent appeals to authorities in the U.S. and in Europe, calling for the removal of barriers that hinder the ability to collect more plasma, have resulted in the temporary lifting of certain outdated regulatory provisions. We call on authorities to make permanent the removal of those barriers that are not scientifically relevant.
With urgency, we repeat our longstanding appeal for authorities around the world to intensify the call for plasma donations. While commendable efforts have been undertaken by governments in the U.S. and Europe to encourage donations of COVID-19 convalescent plasma, we call on governments likewise to engage in a comprehensive public education campaign to encourage donations of plasma generally, and to reassure the public of the safety of the donation process.
Any adult who meets the screening criteria can answer this call. You can save a life, today. Patients with rare diseases are counting on us.
To find a plasma donation center near you, please visit www.DonatingPlasma.org. To learn more about the diseases treated by plasma protein therapies, and to hear directly from patients whose lives are improved by access to these lifesaving therapies, please visit www.HowIsYourDay.org.
Download statement here.
For more information, please contact Mat Gulick at mgulick@pptaglobal.org.
Created on August 05 2020.