News and press releases

February 25, 2021 (Annapolis, MD) — The Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) welcomes the decision of the UK government to lift a two decades old ban on the use of UK-donated plasma for the manufacture of immunoglobulins, following a scientific review conducted by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.

In a recent communication, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limits the collection and use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma authorized under Emergency Use Authorization for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.1 It is important to note, however, that this development does not mean that the need for plasma donations has diminished.

A recent publication1 explores possible reasons for the increased use of immunoglobulins (IG) and suggests growing clinical need can be met by restricting patient access to IG while denying the need to collect more plasma in Europe.

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.