Empirical evidence on the quantity, quality and economics of plasma supply

Organisation: Third Pillar Research Center, Belgian Red Cross-Flanders

Lead researcher: Fritz Schiltz

Grant amount: EUR 25,000

Project duration: 01.01.2024-31.12.2024

About

This project aims to consolidate evidence on the importance of voluntary plasma donations. We want to move away from arguments based on personal beliefs and instead focus on real-world data. By doing this, we hope to show the positive impact of voluntary plasma donations and identify areas where more research is needed.
To achieve this goal, we will collect data, analyse existing research, and describe ‘best practices. First, we will combine the latest available data into one dataset describing the need and availability of plasma by country. Additionally, we will conduct a thorough review of the existing research. By doing this, we can identify what is already known in the scientific literature and what areas require further investigation. Lastly, to get a better understanding of how systems with voluntary plasma donations work in practice, we will look at specific examples of countries that have successful systems in place where people donate their plasma voluntarily.
Our main focus will be on three important aspects: quality, quantity, and economics. We want to understand how voluntary plasma donations impact the health of both the donors and the patients who receive the plasma. We will also measure the resilience and self-reliance of countries’ plasma collection. Lastly, we will look at the pricing of the medical products derived from plasma and compare countries with different collection systems.
By conducting this project, we aim to provide empirical evidence about the benefits of voluntary plasma donations, in order to feed a debate that is often based on ideological arguments rather than data. This information will help decision-makers make informed choices and develop policies that ensure the safety and availability of blood products for society.

Project Aims

The project’s objectives are to:

• Consolidate existing research: The project will review and consolidate the existing research on the importance of voluntary non-remunerated plasma donations. By synthesizing the available knowledge, the project aims to create a comprehensive understanding of the benefits and challenges associated with this donation system. This project will build upon the (preliminary) findings highlighted in the presentation of Prof dr Philippe Vandekerckhove (Belgian Red Cross-Flanders) at the EBA event in European Parliament: “Blood establishments and the new SoHO Regulation: Protecting donors, delivering for patients”.
• Shift the debate from ideological to empirical arguments: The project seeks to move beyond ideological arguments surrounding voluntary non-remunerated plasma donation systems by emphasizing empirical evidence. By presenting factual data and analysis on the comparison of voluntary non-remunerated plasma donations and remunerated plasma donations, the study will contribute to informed decision-making and policy discussions. This project will build upon the (preliminary) findings of the research project led by Dr Stijn Bruers (KU Leuven), commissioned by Belgian Red Cross-Flanders: “Selling the gift of life? Altruistic motivation and monetary incentives for blood donation”.
• Identify gaps and future research avenues: By reviewing the existing literature, the project will suggest avenues for future research on the importance of voluntary non-remunerated donations for the quality, quantity, and economics of plasma supply.

Expected Results
The study aims to consolidate findings on the impact of voluntary non-remunerated plasma donations compared to compensation-based systems.

• Quality – safety of donors and patients: The project will examine the impact of voluntary donations on both donors and patients. For example, it will explore the effects on donor health, such as immunoglobulin levels, and the impact on patient outcomes, such as the incidence of infections.
• Quantity – self-reliance and resilience: The project will assess the level of self-reliance achieved through voluntary non-remunerated plasma donations. It will benchmark different regions and countries to determine the degree of reliance on imported plasma. Specifically, the study will investigate the importance of investing in (1) a broad donor base and (2) collection centres to scale voluntary non-remunerated plasma collection in a resilient manner.
• Pricing – PDMPs: The study will evaluate the pricing of pharmaceutical end products derived from plasma (PDMPs). It will compare the pricing trends in countries with different systems, with and without private collectors (i.e., paid donors vs. voluntary non-remunerated donors). This analysis will contribute to the understanding of the link between the type of collection system and the affordability and accessibility of plasma-derived products.