NR APWX
AU Mitchell,P.
TI UK to import blood plasma because of fears over nvCJD
QU Lancet 1998 Mar 7; 351: 729
VT
The UK will, in future, import blood plasma as a precautionary measure designed to prevent infection of blood-product recipients with new-variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD). Donorderived factor VIII will be phased out in favour of synthetic product.
Announcing the new policy on Feb 26, Health Minister Frank Dobson insisted that there is no evidence that nvCJD can be contracted from blood products. Whole blood for transfusions will continue to be from UK sources.
The move follows last year's scare when the National Blood Service recalled three bloodproduct batches because some of the donors had later developed nvCJD.
The UK Committee on Safety of Medicines is currently considering its specific advice to NBS's Bio Products Laboratory, which supplies almost all serum albumin and most immunoglobulins and coagulation factors for National Health Service patients.
BPL chief executive Richard Walker said that he expected the CSM to conclude that UK-sourced plasma should not be used if an alternative exists. However, BPL does not expect to destroy any plasma products already in the supply chain. "There has been a clear statement that the CSM will make a case-by-case review of blood product use. In the meantime, we are continuing to meet the demand by using UK plasma."
The infectious agent may be destroyed during plasma processing, added Walker, but there are no tests to verify this. "If we cannot detect it we cannot demonstrate that we have removed it."
SP englisch
PO England