NHS patients have begun receiving blood plasma medicine from UK donors for the first time in a generation.
Plasma donations were paused in 1998 due to fears over the spread of a human variant of vCJD – commonly referred to as mad cow disease.
But donations were restarted in 2021 after scientists concluded they were safe to be used. However, the health service is now working to build its own supply of plasma medicines amid a global shortage, as it is currently reliant on imports, costing the NHS up to £10m a year.
Among the patients to benefit from plasma treatment is four-year-old Ruby Harris, from Norwich.
She was given a plasma treatment called albumin for a serious liver issue. Ruby has portal hypertension – meaning she has high blood pressure in one of the major veins leading into her liver.
Her mum, Leah, told Sky News: “At the time, I didn’t realise how serious and extraordinary the treatment was.
“In the moment, all you want is for your child to be okay, and you’re not always taking it all in. But now, I realise that Ruby was probably one of the youngest to have this treatment, and it’s crazy to know people out there are saving lives by just giving up an hour of their day to donate.
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“Because without it, I don’t know where Ruby would be.”
‘She is now thriving’
Ruby first became ill at 17 weeks, and later collapsed at a toddler group when she was 18 months old.
Doctors discovered she was born with a spleen so small it is regarded as “non functioning”, which means she is more prone to infections. She was initially given two blood transfusions.
In 2022, she fell ill for a third time, and her eyes began to yellow, the sign of a liver problem. She was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus, and was in acute liver failure as a result.
During treatment, her liver failure caused her abdomen to fill with excess fluid and while the fluid needed to be released she also lost albumin, a protein which helps blood to flow through the body.
To replace it, she was given a plasma transfusion and now – although she remains at risk of future complications – is “thriving”, her mother said.
While Leah is not able to donate due to a blood disorder, Ruby’s dad, Craig, now donates regularly.
“Donors saved my daughter’s life,” said Leah, who has been together with Craig for 15 years.
‘A significant milestone’
Jill Jones made history by becoming the first patient to be given UK-sourced plasma since the ban was lifted at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
She has received treatments every three weeks following a diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma 20 years ago. She called the transfusions as “life-changing”.
Health Minister Baroness Gillian Merron called the use of UK donors a “significant milestone” towards self-sufficiency.
She said: “By sourcing our own medicine, we are building a more resilient and domestic medical supply chain and boosting economic growth.”
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Sir Stephen Powis, National Medical Director at NHS England, also dubbed it a “landmark moment”.
“Thanks to NHS efforts, new plasma-derived products, owned from start to finish by the UK, will reduce our reliance on imported stock and boost the fortitude of hospital supplies,” he said.
