How plasma is collected and used

One reason people don’t consider donating plasma is that they do not understand the process. Potential donors often wonder how their plasma is collected, what happens to it afterward, who will benefit from their donation, and for what purpose. Understanding this journey from donation to treatment can help demystify the process and highlight the critical role donors play in saving lives.

The donation process

When you make your appointment at your local plasma donation center, you will receive specific instructions about what to bring with you. Generally, you'll need proof of identity, proof of address, and a valid Social Security card. Ensuring you eat a light meal before you arrive and drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to your donation will aid in the donation's success. Bringing something to read to pass the time as well is always a good idea.

When you arrive, you'll be asked to provide appropriate paperwork and to complete a health screening and a blood test. These are conducted to prevent anyone from donating whose health could be compromised by doing so, such as having low total protein or low iron. This assessment ensures that it is safe for you to donate and that your plasma is safe to be used by patients. Once the screening is complete, you are ready to donate.

The process used to collect plasma is called plasmapheresis and takes about an hour. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with support from the Red Cross, has standardized and regulated this procedure to make sure it is done safely. During plasmapheresis, an intravenous line (IV) carries whole blood out of a vein in one of your arms. A machine then separates plasma from blood cells and other components. The blood (minus the plasma collected) is returned to your other arm, along with a sterile saline solution to help replace the liquid that was removed. Your body regenerates the lost plasma on its own over the next 48 hours.

In the United States and several other countries, the last step is receiving compensation for the time you spend donating.

The plasma collected through plasmapheresis from donors at dedicated plasma collection centers is called source plasma. It is the main supply of plasma in the United States.

Another way to collect plasma is from whole-blood donations through centrifugation. Organizations like the Red Cross routinely collect plasma this way. Plasma obtained this way is called "recovered plasma," as the goal of the collection initially is to obtain red blood cells and platelets, making plasma a byproduct. However, this process does not yield nearly enough plasma to satisfy demand.

Manufacturing process 

Once collected, plasma is frozen to await confirmation of test results, ensuring its safety. The plasma undergoes a series of tests for contamination prevention and virus inactivation steps to ensure it is safe for use. One test is a nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) to identify any HIV or hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected donations, which are then destroyed. Pathogen inactivation and removal during the manufacturing stage ensure that even undetectable germs don’t make it into the plasma supply.

From the donation center, plasma goes to a manufacturing facility. Many of the companies that collect plasma at their plasma centers are the same companies that manufacture plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) through a process that begins with fractionation. Fractionation is a way to separate out individual proteins from plasma. . These individual ‘fractions’ of plasma become medications that treat specific conditions, like clotting disorders.

The manufacturing process can take 7-12 months from the time of donation until the final product is available for patients.

Patients who benefit from plasma donation

Plasma is used to create different therapies to help replace missing or non-working proteins in individuals with serious, often life-threatening diseases such as hemophilia and primary immunodeficiency. For many with rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies are the only option for lifesaving treatment. The individuals who use these therapies typically rely on them for life, which means they need to get regular injections or infusions of these plasma-derived therapies.

Just like there is no substitute for blood, there is no substitute for the therapeutic proteins that come from plasma.

The number of individuals in need of plasma-derived therapies is significant. Treating a patient with genetic emphysema for a year can take up to 900 plasma donations. That's why continued donations are so critical. Millions of liters of plasma must be donated annually to create enough life-changing medications to help those in need.

Over 125,000 people in the United States alone rely on plasma for various lifelong conditions, and the number is much higher for those who require plasma for short-term needs, such as trauma and burns.

For many plasma-derived products, the annual cost for a patient can be upwards of $200,000. An estimated 50% of the cost of these therapies comes from the collection of the raw material alone, including compensating donors and operating plasma centers.

The need for therapeutic plasma proteins is anticipated to continue to grow in the years to come. Consider, if you are able, joining the thousands of heroes who donate today. Your donation makes a real difference in the lives of patients who depend on these therapies to survive and thrive.