Plasma from Blood Donors in England now Used for Life-Saving Medicine

In England, blood donors are now able to contribute to potentially life-saving plasma medicine.

The ban on using plasma from UK donors – brought in to protect against vCJD, the human form of “mad cow disease” – has been lifted to boost stocks of immunoglobulin.

Every year, around 17,000 people require immunoglobulin treatment to combat cancer and rare immune diseases. Until now, the UK have been relying solely on plasma imports.

In future, approximately 250,000 litres of plasma from around a million blood donations each year will be used to make the medicine.

The minister for innovation, Lord Bethell, described it as a “historic day for the future of blood donations in the UK”.

Gerry Gogarty, the lead for plasma for medicines at the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), said the development would improve long-term supplies of immunoglobulin medicine, adding that each generous blood donation would go even further in helping to save lives.

“This is a huge new step forward for the wider NHS and the thousands of people who rely on immunoglobulins,” Gogarty said.

Plasma, medication, and further medical supplies are required to be stored at specific temperatures.

Invisible Systems are supporting a number of NHS organisations to remotely monitor the temperature of fridges and freezers for a range of supplies.

Our smart sensors are a cost-effective and reliable solution to prevent the unnecessary wastage of vital medical supplies and research, whilst ensuring efficacy of medication for patients.

The remote monitoring solution requires no integration with your existing IT infrastructure. Instead, it acts as a plug and play system that can be put in place quickly and easily following an initial site survey.

The wireless sensors can be used both in static locations and whilst on the move when required*.

Should your fridge or freezer fall out of its specified temperature threshold, pre-defined members of your team will be alerted via email, call or SMS to ensure that preventative action can be taken.

All data from the sensors is delivered to a user-friendly, visual interface. Data from numerous sites can be accessed via one system, ensuring the management of your operations and reporting of your temperature is efficient.

If you would like more information on remote monitoring within a medical facility, book a consultation with a member of our team today.