Mapping and evaluating the scientific evidence on plasma donor protection practices

02/11/22

Plasma is a crucial raw material for many drugs and treatments. However, collecting sufficient plasma to supply patients within Europe with plasma-derived medicines has many challenges. The SUPPLY project, funded by the EU4Health program of the European Commission, and led by the European Blood Alliance (EBA), aims to strengthen the plasma chain in Europe.

The main outcome of the project is a set of recommendations and guidelines for non-profit blood institutions, competent authorities, medical societies and other professional stakeholders to help them grow plasma collection and to achieve a resilient supply in the European Union. In doing so, optimal availability of plasma medicines for patients will be achieved, even in times of crisis. This project will therefore contribute to making the EU more strategically independent in its plasma medicine needs.

In collaboration with EBA, Sanquin, and the Aarhus University Hospital, CEBaP will first conduct a scoping review to identify existing scientific literature in the domain of safety and protection of plasma donors. Subsequently, based on the results of the scoping review, we will formulate a PICO question and conduct a systematic review in this field. These results, together with the results from a survey on current plasma donor protection practices, will be used to formulate (research) recommendations to relevant stakeholders.