Octapharma plasma powder receives EU approval

The European medical authorities have approved the lyophilised (freeze-dried) presentation of the well-established plasma for transfusion from Octapharma. The line extension will be marketed in Europe as a powder and solvent for solution for infusion. According to a press release, this offers new and potentially life-saving treatment options in pre-hospital and emergency settings.

Dr Oliver Hegener, Vice President of the Critical Care International Business Unit at Octapharma, comments: “octaplasLG powder, an AB universal plasma, can be stored at room temperature and reconstituted within minutes”. It can therefore be used in emergency situations and locations with no frozen storage facilities or cold chain infrastructure, which are both required for regular fresh frozen plasma.

The company writes that trauma results in 4.4 million deaths worldwide annually, with uncontrolled bleeding being the major cause of 30 percent to 50 percent of all deaths in the first 24 hours. Early - pre-hospital - administration of plasma has been shown to increase survival, compared with crystalloids, when pre-hospital transport was longer than 20 minutes.

Octapharma with headquarters in Lachen is one of the largest human protein manufacturers in the world. The company develops and produces human proteins from human plasma and human cell lines. Worldwide, Octapharma employs more than 11,000 people at seven R&D sites, five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Austria, France, Germany and Sweden and more than 190 plasma donation centers across Europe and the USA. mm