Every year thousands of people in the United States who suffer with rare and serious disorders such as hemophilia, hereditary angioedema, von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies and inherited respiratory disease receive lifesaving therapies derived from human plasma. These conditions affect people of all ages from children to the elderly, and from all ethnic, racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.
CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics company that specializes in plasma-derived and recombinant therapies for the treatment of rare disorders. Because it takes a large number of plasma donations to create enough therapy to be used by each patient for one year, a tremendous volume of plasma is needed to produce CSL Behring’s lifesaving therapies. Unfortunately, only a small number of people in the U.S. who are eligible to donate plasma do so.
CSL Plasma, a subsidiary of CSL Behring, plays a pivotal role in ensuring an adequate supply of plasma to meet the therapeutic needs of people with rare medical conditions. CSL Plasma operates one of the largest plasma collection networks in the world. Plasma is collected from committed donors who regularly donate in CSL Plasma collection centers.
Randy Furby, CSL Plasma’s senior vice president and general manager, says Plasma Protein Therapies Month is a wonderful opportunity to recognize donors, without whom it would not be possible to make therapies for treating rare disorders. “We value our donors and we thank them for their commitment to providing valuable source material that helps save and improve so many lives,” Furby says.
Plasma donation is safe and tightly regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Eligible donors are compensated for their time and may donate plasma up to twice a week. Students interested in becoming plasma donors must be at least 18 years of age and weigh at least 100 pounds. Prospective donors can use the CSL Plasma collection center locator to find a center near their college or university.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide.
CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema and inherited respiratory disease. The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn.
CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.
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Contact:
Chris Florentz
Manager Corporate Communications
CSL Behring
610-878-4316
Christopher.Florentz@cslbehring.com