There has been a surge in female plasma donors in London since the introduction of new ‘female friendly’ donation machines in July, boosting future supplies of a lifesaving medicine.
There are now 293 female donors at London’s donor centre in Twickenham, making up 18% of the active donor base. Before the new machines were introduced, only about 5% of donors were female, fewer than 100 people.
The new machines are female friendly because they take out a smaller amount of blood at a time and filter out the plasma faster. That makes it safe for smaller and slighter people to donate, which has enabled far more women to donate.
The increase is boosting donations of plasma, which is made into a medicine called immunoglobulin, which saves lives by strengthening or stabilising the immune system.
Supplies of immunoglobulin are under pressure around the world and plasma donation in London will bolster availability of the medicine in England. Around 3,900 people from London receive immunoglobulin each year.
NHS Blood and Transplant has been directed to take donations to bolster long term immunoglobulin supplies to NHS hospitals in the face of international supply pressures.
England relied on imported immunoglobulin for more than 20 years as a precaution against vCJD but the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said last year that plasma from UK donors can again be used for immunoglobulin.
Christina Leaver, manager of London’s plasma donor centre, which is in Twickenham in Regal House on London Road, said: “These new machines have transformed how many females can donate. They are faster and take less blood at a time, so many more people meet the new rules on height and weight. Please register to donate plasma – you have a medicine in you which will save lives.”
Visit www.blood.co.uk/plasma or search ‘donate plasma’.
