Recently, news outlets have suggested that people are not allowed to donate source plasma if they have received either of the two experimental COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. This is incorrect. Current guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that those who have received one of the available vaccines should not donate convalescent plasma. Healthy and eligible people who have received the COVID-19 vaccine are still encouraged to donate regular source plasma for further manufacture into plasma-derived therapies.

PPTA congratulates the province of Alberta for formally adopting the Voluntary Blood Donations Repeal Act, which repeals the existing ban on compensated plasma donation.  This landmark legislation allows the citizens of Alberta to join the millions of source plasma donors worldwide who receive a modest compensation for their commitment to providing the starting material for lifesaving therapies to treat the patients who need them. These therapies are relied upon by people facing rare, serious, and life-threatening conditions and are often the only treatment for this vulnerable population.

COVID-19 continues to present a prolonged, global public health emergency, but PPTA remains steadfastly committed to its mission to promote the availability of — and access to — safe and effective plasma protein therapies for all patients. PPTA member companies operate more than 1,000 Source plasma donation centers in the U.S. and four countries in the European Union and manufacture plasma-derived therapies that treat patients with serious, rare, and often genetic diseases and disorders, including: primary immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency, hereditary angioedema, and certain neurological conditions. These conditions are often only treated with therapies produced from plasma.

The Guardian published an editorial on October 21 by Arwa Mahdawi that relies heavily on a 2015 article that intentionally sought to perpetuate a divisive representation of plasma donors’ commitments and motivations – Ms. Mahdawi used those negative insinuations in a broader attempt to castigate the U.S. and its public support programs. The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) and its member companies are grateful for every plasma donor, each of whom directly contributes to saving and improving the lives of people facing serious, inherited, and life-threatening diseases.

The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) is pleased by recent actions taken in California and New York, two of the most populous states in the country, that show the growing recognition of the importance of plasma donation. In New York, the Department of Health released emergency regulations that revise requirements for the Collection of Blood Components. These revisions simplify the regulatory landscape for source plasma¹ donation in New York by harmonizing New York State requirements with national standards. The changes should enhance plasma availability, while maintaining high blood safety standards.

On Wednesday, September 23, at the invitation of the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), PPTA President & CEO, Amy Efantis testified before the USITC at a virtual hearing on COVID-19 Related Goods: The U.S. Industry, Market, Trade, and Supply Chain Challenges. The main messages that PPTA conveyed were that the plasma protein therapeutics industry is built on a complex, global supply chain that must be preserved to ensure access for the patients that depend on it. Additionally, it is of vital importance that the Administration continue to support policies that encourage plasma donation.

The most recent White House executive order, issued September 13 and calling for a “most favored nation” Medicare drug pricing program, is ill-advised and risks the lives of vulnerable U.S. patients who rely on access to plasma protein therapies (PPTs). PPTs are non-interchangeable, single-source products which might not be available in some reference countries. 

The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association is steadfast in its mission to promote the availability of, and access to, safe and effective plasma protein therapies for patients around the world. We call on all eligible adults to donate plasma – whether you are someone recovered from COVID-19 or not, your plasma is needed to save lives, now. By donating plasma today, you are directly helping to save the lives of babies born with primary immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders, and other rare conditions, as well as patients who rely on plasma therapies in emergency and critical-care contexts.

Yesterday, President Trump, senior officials within his Administration, and representatives from the plasma and blood communities agreed that plasma donation is a national imperative, recognizing how essential plasma is and urging Americans to donate their plasma. Paul Perreault, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of CSL Ltd. represented the CoVIg-19 Alliance, “an unprecedented partnership of world-leading companies” dedicated to the development of a hyperimmune globulin with the potential to treat people seriously impacted by COVID-19. He took the opportunity presented by participating in the White House Roundtable to issue a call for all Americans to donate plasma, even those who have not had COVID-19, and to urge the Administration to support the industry’s effort to develop a hyperimmune to combat COVID-19.

White House executive orders issued on July 24 calling for a “favored nations” and drug importation program are ill-advised and risk the lives of U.S. patients who rely on access to plasma protein therapies. These unique, non-interchangeable and lifesaving therapies treat patients with rare diseases such as primary immune deficiency and bleeding disorders, like hemophilia. The executive order on favored nations would use pricing schemes from countries that often do not make the PPTs used by U.S. patients available, often selecting only one representative drug in a category and artificially setting prices.