UK blood supplies to be used to make life-saving drug

[Treeman]

Plasma from blood donations in England will be used to make a vital medicine, following a rule change to reduce reliance on imported stocks.
Each year about 17,000 people need immunoglobulin treatment and, until recently, there was a ban on using plasma from UK  donors to safeguard against vCJD or "mad cow disease".
Officials say this precaution is no longer necessary.

UK blood supplies to be used to make life-saving drug - BBC News

I know there are many whose health could benefit from immunoglobulin (including me) so this is welcome news.

 

[Gingergrrl]

@Treeman I apologize for my ignorance re: this situation but do you mean that all IVIG and SCIG in the UK is imported from other countries? Why would the blood supply (or plasma supply) in the UK be unsafe but it is safe from other countries to import for IVIG usage? For some reason, I am not grasping this situation. I knew that it was extremely difficult to get IVIG in the UK but I had no idea that this was part of it!

 

[Treeman]

I apologize for my ignorance re: this situation but do you mean that all IVIG and SCIG in the UK is imported from other countries?

As I understand it, all of it is harvested in U.S.A where people are paid for it.

Why would the blood supply (or plasma supply) in the UK be unsafe but it is safe from other countries to import for IVIG usage?

Judging form the above comments, it was because of mad cow diseases, or at least in part.

 

[Gingergrrl]

As I understand it, all of it is harvested in U.S.A where people are paid for it.

Judging form the above comments, it was because of mad cow diseases, or at least in part.

I am still confused! From your first quote, it sounds like a financial issue (that plasma donors in the US are paid vs. in the UK I assume that they are not paid)?

But in your second quote, it sounds like a health issue in which (somehow?) the UK blood/plasma supply is tainted due to "mad cow disease" (which seems very strange to me) because then it would be unsafe in general and not just re: IVIG.

I have never heard of this before and did IVIG for 2-years (from 2016 to 2018). I assume this story is legit but it seems very strange or there must be something more that is missing?