Global demand for plasma has greatly increased over the past 20 years and is continuing to grow. With demand far exceeding available supply, more people around the world are struggling to access the treatments they need, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Many of these countries recognize the need for strengthened healthcare infrastructure and policies reflecting up-to-date scientific knowledge that support the ability to source plasma, develop and manufacture plasma-derived therapies and contribute to the global supply of these life-sustaining and lifechanging treatments.

UNITAR and Takeda have partnered on a new joint initiative to provide education around plasma based on the latest scientific evidence, best practices and recommendations to support countries in developing practical solutions to address unmet patient need for plasma and plasma-derived therapies.

This partnership aims to support countries in developing their own tailored solutions to the challenges of plasma supply, healthcare infrastructure and policy that impact patients’ ability to access treatments that can improve their quality of life or life expectancy.

This initiative has been piloted in two countries – Malaysia and Argentina – where a number of stakeholders have convened to address health systems issues that affect plasma supply in their respective countries. Through a collaborative, UN-hosted platform, a broad bench of stakeholders in each country, comprised of experts, policymakers, patient organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector, work toward a common goal of finding practical solutions at the local level. Positive progress towards these solutions in the pilot countries will also serve as a roadmap for other countries that want to join this initiative in the future.

Separately, a public, UN-hosted knowledge hub is available on this website to enable all interested policymakers, decision-makers and other stakeholders around the world to access up-to-date, accurate scientific evidence and best practices around plasma and plasma-derived therapies.

The plasma knowledge hub is a public, UN-hosted knowledge base for anyone interested in learning more about up-to-date, accurate scientific evidence and best practices around plasma and plasma-derived therapies. Countries interested in strengthening their health systems around plasma supply are encouraged to use the knowledge hub to access shared resources and initiate their own problem-solving in addressing challenges around plasma supply and development of plasma-derived therapies.

The knowledge hub is comprised of a wealth of up-to-date, accurate scientific evidence and best practices around plasma. These resources address the urgent need to increase the global plasma supply, offer guidance around international standards for the production and regulation of plasma-derived therapies, and share best practices and recommendations to improve access to plasma-derived therapies for patients around the world who rely on them.

While the knowledge hub is designed to share resources between experts, it is important that all of the information we share is up-to-date and accurate scientific evidence and best practices around plasma. If you think you have relevant or valuable resources to add to the knowledge hub, please message us using the contact form on this website so we can review and discuss inclusion.