At the 63rd World Health Assembly, WHO member nations were encouraged "to take all the necessary steps to establish, implement and support nationally-coordinated, efficiently managed and sustainable blood and plasma programmes according to availability of resources, with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency".
Currently, excluding China, plasma fractionation plants are only available in the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Most of these fractionators are focused on the European and US markets and only supply Asia with excess product. Although a few high development index (HDI) countries in the Asia Pacific region have sufficient access to a broad portfolio of plasma products through domestic or contract plasma fractionation programmes, the volume of plasma fractionated in the region is too low to meet the needs, resulting in high prices.
Recognizing the importance of self-sufficiency to reduce costs, prevent blood shortages and meet the transfusion requirements of patients, a number of South-East Asian countries are moving towards setting up domestic fractionation plants.
Earlier this month, Malaysia's Strovi Tel Sdn Bhd announced the construction of the country's first fractionation plant through a partnership with LFB - Laboratoire francais du Fractonnement of des Biotechnologies – also stating its plans to further expand its business eventually into the South-East Asian and Middle East markets. Thailand's Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) also announced a partnership with Korea's Green Cross, in January 2013, to design and construct a blood plasma separating facility in the Chon Buri province. While Malaysia and Thailand make headway, countries like Indonesia, Phillippines and Singapore are not far behind from self-sustenance.
At the upcoming Bioplasma World Asia 2013 gathering (co-located with Asia's most prominent bloodborne Pathogen workshop) taking place on 3-5 September 2013 in Bali, health representatives from these and many other Asian more countries, will get together with international plasma fractionators, blood establishments, and technology providers to explore opportunities and viable partnerships to meet the persistently rising demand of the Asian blood and bioplasma products market.
Some of the confirmed fractionators and government bodies attending this event include Central Blood Collection, Egypt, Indonesian Red Cross, Indonesia, Ministry Of Health, Kuwait, Ministry Of Health, Phillippines, National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Vietnam, National Institute of Biologicals, India, Baxter Healthcare, Austria, Greencross, Korea, Blood Product Research Organization, Japan, CSL Behring, Australia, Cordlife Blood Center, Singapore, Red Crescent Society, Brunei, Red Crescent Society, Malaysia, LFB, France, and Prime Biologics, Singapore.
Technology providers like Sartorius Stedim Biotech, Haemonetics Corporation, Asahi Kasei Medical Co. Ltd, Merck Millipore, Novartis, Nigale, GFE Blut, Dometic, ProMetic, Fresenius Kabi, Neste Jacobs, Boccard, Roche, Abbott, Cerus, will also be present.
To know more about Bioplasma World 2013 conference, and arrange interviews with speakers, please get in touch with Natasha Jiandani.