IPFA Asia Pacific Workshop on Plasma Quality and Supply 2016

Report of Workshop

IPFA recently held an international workshop on Plasma Quality and Supply with the aim of addressing the technological, regulatory and organizational tools necessary to produce plasma suitable for fractionation into Plasma Derived Medicinal Products (PDMPs). This workshop was held on 8 – 9 March in Taipei in collaboration with the National Serology Reference Laboratory (NRL, Australia) and Taipei Medical University (TMU) who also kindly hosted the meeting. This was the 4th in a series of IPFA regional meetings on the topic of plasma supply and patient access to PDMPs which have previously been held in the USA and South Africa.

We were delighted to welcome more than 175 delegates to the meeting representing 30 countries from the Asia Pacific region and beyond, including Europe, Africa and North America. This region of the world has approximately 60% of the world population but contributes only 20% of the global plasma supply. IPFA’s priority is to support national plasma collection programmes to meet the increasing patient need for PDMPs and it was therefore appropriate to hold this workshop in this important region, focusing on the essential requirements for plasma quality and regulatory compliance.

Delegates to the meeting included stakeholders from blood establishments and societies, clinical practice, patient organisations, research organisations, regulatory authorities and industry who came together for inclusive and cooperative discussion on strategies to meet the needs of the region. Topics included in the programme were:

• Setting the scene – clinical uses of PDMPs, the role of NRL and the achievements and challenges for plasma collection in Australia
• Managing the clinical use of blood components and meeting patient needs for PDMPs against a background of decreasing whole blood collection
• The importance of quality management in blood banking to meet the standards necessary for plasma for fractionation – including the wider benefits of plasma quality programmes for blood establishments
• Screening strategies for established and emerging blood borne pathogens in the region
• Donor recruitment and selection programmes – achievements and challenges in meeting the increasing need for plasma donation
• The critical importance of effective regulation to meet national and international plasma quality standards – regulatory experiences from the region and the role of stepwise accreditation programmes
• New perspectives on national self-sufficiency and the importance of effective programmes to achieve ‘strategic independence’ in plasma product supply
• Initiatives and developments from industry in support of blood and plasma collection programmes in the region and options for manufacture of PDMPs

In common with previous regional meetings, this workshop set out to inform and debate issues of concern to stakeholders in the region, but above all to promote a spirit of cooperation to help the region maintain momentum and build on its many achievements. We hope this has been achieved. We have received many helpful comments and suggestions, which will provide useful guidance for future events. These indicate that the participants found the meeting relevant, educative, informative and well-structured.

IPFA was delighted to have been able to offer “Fellowships” to enable the following people to attend the meeting:

Dr Javaid Usman (Pakistan)
Ms Mira Cho (Korea)
Dr Pham Tuan Duong (Vietnam)

Their impressions from the meeting are available.

IPFA and its collaborating organisations would like to offer their sincere thanks to all participants who gave so freely of their time, energy and expertise in contributing to the aims and goals for the meeting. We would also like to acknowledge the support we have received from our sponsors, without this the meeting would not have been possible.

IPFA and its co-organisers were honoured to be given the opportunity to organise this workshop. We hope it has provided new insights and established new relationships.

As announced at the meeting the proceedings are now available on the IPFA website. Please see below.