Growing demand for plasma-based medicines requires serious consideration of the plasma supply and how to ensure it in Europe, Lutz Bonacker, CSL Senior Vice President and General Manager in Europe for Global Commercial Operations, said in a recent opinion piece for EURACTIV.com.
“Plasma collection volumes in the EU are limited and uneven, with just four countries – Germany, Austria, Czechia and Hungary – contributing to more than half of total European plasma supply,” Bonacker wrote.
Bonacker, based in Germany, said he has seen firsthand the plight of patients for whom a plasma-based medicine is their only treatment option. CSL, through CSL Plasma, collects donated plasma, while the CSL Behring business unit develops and manufactures plasma-based medicines for conditions such as primary immunodeficiency and bleeding disorders.
The proposed legislation – called SoHO for substances of human origin – is before the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, and will set terms for how Europe can strengthen plasma collection and plasma availability for plasma derived therapies. Bonacker called on legislators to seize “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help increase Europe’s plasma supply resilience in the context of robust and effective global supply chains, aligned with the union’s priority of open strategic autonomy.”
Read the full article: How Europe can work together on SoHO to meet patient needs
