Meeting patient needs: securing Canada’s plasma supply

The demand for products made from donated plasma is rapidly growing. These products are specialized medicines that are made from the proteins in plasma. They help treat a variety of rare, life-threatening, chronic and genetic conditions.

To respond to the immense demand, and meet patient needs, we have announced plans to open three stand-alone plasma donations centres. These centres will be located in Sudbury, ON; Lethbridge, AB; and Kelowna, B.C, and will collect plasma from volunteer donors.

Across the country, there are patients who rely on the medicines that are made from donated plasma to lead healthy lives.

Cayleigh is one of these patients. After a lifetime of fighting infections, she was diagnosed with common variable immune deficiency when she was 18 years old. This condition makes her highly susceptible to infection.

Thanks to treatment of medicine made from plasma proteins, Cayleigh is living a healthier life. She is pursuing a college diploma and planning for her career.

“I’m so grateful to all the people who donate plasma to help me live a healthy life,” says Cayleigh.

You can help people like Cayleigh by donating plasma, when you have the opportunity. The plasma donation centre in Sudbury will open in summer 2020, with Lethbridge following in the late fall of 2020, and Kelowna in March of 2021. The doors will be open to partner groups and individual donors. Every donation will make a difference.

The Partners for Life program will not change in these communities. Your group can still donate as a team, setting and achieving goals, while making a live-saving difference for Canadian patients.

To learn more about plasma donation, click here.