Octapharma to acquire 33 plasma centres

Octapharma has signed an agreement to acquire 33 plasma centres from International BioResources.

International BioResources will develop and staff the centres with over 800 employees, with the centres mainly based in the east and midwestern US.

Plasma is the source of albumin, intravenous immunoglobulin, clotting factors and other proteins used for therapeutic purposes and drug development.

Wolfgang Marguerre, chairman of Octapharma, said: “Octapharma is committed to serving patient needs around the globe with our product portfolio of plasma derivatives for the treatment of coagulation disorders, immune disease and intensive care and emergency medicines.”

He added the company must source half of its plasma needed for its products from Octapharma-owned plasma centres over the next ten years if it is to fulfil the international demand for its products.

Robert J Gagnard, chairman of International BioResources said the plasma collection industry is rapidly moving towards a model of large privately-owned networks, with his company committed to supplying sufficient resources to meet patient and physician need.

Last month, Octapharma announced that the health authorities in the UK had renewed the marketing authorisation of its plasma alternative Octaplas for a five-year period, with the regulators in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden doing likewise.