What The Plasma

Part 2: Highlighting individuals, groups, and organizations championing patient access to the life-saving plasma-derived therapies they need. Introducing IgNS.

There are many patient advocacy groups within the plasma industry. Some well-known and some are not as known. Over the next several episodes we are going to highlight both individuals and groups championing patient access to the life-saving plasma-derived therapies they need.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out some of the best of humanity. Doctors, nurses, first responders, grocery workers, plasma and blood center employees, and countless others have all taken the selfless act of putting their own lives at risk to ensure we can have a better one. These people are more than heroes. While we cannot thank them enough for what they are doing. We can step up and do our part by donating plasma. Join the IgNs #It’sMyTurn Plasma Donation Initiative and find a center near you on iPlasma.Life.

The topic of plasma is all over the news. What long term impact will this have on the plasma industry? Unprecedented times have called for unprecedented measures. Major plasma companies join to form the CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance and develop a non-branded hyper-immunotherapy to treat serious COVID-19 patients. Can the industry capitalize on this course of action?

Countries all over the world have expanded research on the use of convalescence plasma as a potential treatment for serious COVID-19 cases. Plasma is all over the news. The world is receiving an education on the use of antibodies to develop life-saving therapies in a way we have not seen before. This is a great thing for the industry. However, how do we build on this going forward?

The FDA’s formal announcement of a plasma shortage capped a rising issue that was foreseen a couple years back. This announcement took plasma last August and is now followed by the onset of Covid-19 to start 2020. It’s easy to excuse these setbacks as a bottom-line issue for bio-pharma companies but doing so would miss the human element. Plasma derived therapies depend on a human-to-human connection; that starts with a donor at a plasma center.

The impact that the coronavirus has on our day-to-day lives' is unprecedented. Increased caution around basic hygiene, avoidance of a simple handshake, and fear of the unknown have become the new normal. For the majority us this will be temporary.  We will pick-up the pieces, rebuild and get back to life as we knew it. However, this IS the norm for people living with a primary immunodeficiency.

Join Mason and John as they take a deep dive into the impact this pandemic is having on the PI community.