Plasma for Medicines (PfM) Programme

The Plasma for Medicines (PfM) programme has been introduced in response to the continuing increase in global clinical demand for plasma derived medicinal products (PDMPs).

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) is part of a four nations approach to providing a level of self-sufficiency in PDMP supply within the UK.

This programme is an important step forward in building resilience into the treatment of NHS Scotland patients. UK plasma products are for UK patients only and NHS Scotland can secure a proportion of this life-saving treatment.

Plasma Collection

Plasma is a component of blood which contains lots of antibodies and proteins that can be extracted and made into medicines.

In 2024 the SNBTS began to collect plasma from donors to be made into the life-saving plasma products - intravenous immunoglobulin and albumin.

• Immunoglobulin is a product used to replace low levels of antibodies in patients with different types of immune disorders.
• Albumin is used as a replacement fluid in a variety of medical procedures.

There are currently two ways we collect plasma in Scotland:

Whole Blood Donation

After a blood donation, the bag of blood gets processed in a laboratory where the different blood components can be separated and used where they are most needed. Plasma is separated from the red cells and then can be used for the PfM programme.

Plasma Donation

Plasma can be donated via a process call plasmapheresis. This is where blood is collected and processed via an apheresis machine which collects the plasma and returns all other blood components back to the donor. The collected plasma can then be used for the PfM programme. There is a need for more donors to come forward to donate whole blood or plasma and help Scotland build security into the treatment of NHS Scotland patients. For further information visit scotblood.co.uk.

UK Plasma Products

Plasma collected in Scotland is frozen and shipped to the plasma products manufacturer Octapharma, based in mainland Europe. At Octapharma Scottish plasma is combined with plasma from the other UK nations to make the UK plasma products. These products are then shipped back to the UK to treat patients in the NHS.

History of Scotland’s PfM programme

From 1975, Scotland was self-sufficient in the production of plasma products. This meant we collected enough plasma from our donors in Scotland to provide all of the plasma products the patients in Scotland needed.

In 1998, the Committee on the Safety of Medicines advised against the use of UK plasma for the production of plasma products. This was due to concerns around the potential risk of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), through the use of plasma products.

Between 1999 and 2006, Scotland continued to produce plasma products by using purchased non-UK plasma, however this wasn’t a viable long-term option and production stopped.

Between 2008 and March 2025, Scotland was fully dependent on the importation of commercial plasma products to treat Scottish patients.

In 2020, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) began a detailed review of the evidence on the safety of UK plasma for the production of immunoglobulins due to the rise in global demand for immunoglobulins and ongoing pressures on supply in the UK and around the world. Based on all of the evidence it was concluded by the MHRA and the Commission of Human Medicines that UK plasma was now safe to use for the production of specific plasma products.

In February 2021, it was announced that UK plasma could be used to make immunoglobulins again (GOV.UK).

In March 2021, it was announced that UK plasma could be used to make albumin too.

In 2023, the SNBTS received funding from the Scottish Government to set up the PfM programme in Scotland which allowed the first plasma collections for the programme to take place in April 2024.

From April 2025, UK plasma products were made available for Scottish patients.

Further information about UK plasma products and the clinical use of plasma products can be found at nppeag.scot.nhs.uk.