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To: The blood plasma companies making therapeutics from source plasma

Easier Ways to Donate Plasma

Blood plasma collected from human “source” plasma donations is used to make various life saving therapeutics for people with Immune Deficiencies and other diseases. There is an ongoing critical shortage of available plasma that is needed for immune replacement therapy. The companies that make this medication are located across the United States in clusters. There are no donation centers for source plasma in Massachusetts, even though Boston has some of the top medical centers and schools in the world. The closest donation centers are in Rhode Island and in Maine and even though people are willing to travel to donate source plasma they are being turned away because they don’t live within a certain radius of the collection center. The reason for this is that the collection centers would like for people to be donors on multiple occasions they are worried that donors will not return if they live far away. Given that we are in a critical shortage of blood plasma donations globally, I would like for plasma companies to ease restrictions and to set up centers at the Red Cross so that more people could donate. I would also like to petition for source plasma collection centers to have travel plasma donation clinics, like what is seen on the Red Cross traveling blood donations. The plasma donations collected at hospitals and through the Red Cross are different from “source plasma donations” because hospital donations are used for all patients in emergency situations and can only be collected from donors with AB blood, which only accounts for 4% of the population. Source plasma is used for life saving, life long immune therapies. Source plasma companies: https://www.donatingplasma.org/donation/find-a-donor-center

Why is this important?

I have been forced to fight for my life on several occasions because of the critical shortage of blood plasma. Patients who receive immunotherapy (IV immunoglobulin or subcutaneous immunoglobulin) are often notified that their medications may stop without notice because human blood plasma donations are either decreasing or being used for other products, such as Covid therapy. I am asking for a source plasma to be collected at more locations so that it can be used for immunotherapy. Source donors should be able to donate at various hospitals and the Red Cross and should never be turned away if the need is so great. Additionally, I would like for the plasma companies to conduct travel plasma clinics that would be similar to blood drives. Plasma is used for immune deficiencies, autoimmune deficiencies, cancer treatment, insect and animal bites in humans and many more.

Updates

2020-08-08 21:25:52 -0400

100 signatures reached

2020-08-07 18:59:04 -0400

50 signatures reached

2020-08-07 11:47:22 -0400

25 signatures reached

2020-08-07 07:00:50 -0400

10 signatures reached