Earn Money and Save Lives
Donating plasma is safe and healthy. An International BioResources Plasma Center offers you the opportunity to earn money while you help save lives. Thousands of people each day require treatments manufactured from plasma to live normal lives. To meet this need, millions of caring people worldwide donate plasma through the safe, simple procedure known as plasmapheresis.
What is plasmapheresis?
Plasmapheresis is the process of removing whole blood and separating red blood cells from plasma. The red blood cells are returned to the donor and the plasma is retained for use in preparing medicinal products.
Who donates plasma?
Anyone at least 18 years of age and who weighs at least 110 pounds can donate plasma. All individuals who donate plasma must pass a brief medical examination, extensive medical history screening, and testing for diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.
What type of medical screening and testing is done?
All plasma donors have a pre-donation physical, including medical history questions, tests for syphilis, hepatitis, and HIV, total protein and hematocrit/hemoglobin levels, and urinalysis. Additional donor screening includes drug abuse testing and donor education on high risk activities and residency requirements.
How long does it take to donate plasma?
To ensure that the donor meets the medical health screening and testing requirements, the first visit takes about two hours. Subsequent visits take a little more than an hour.
How often can plasma be donated?
The body replaces the donated plasma within 24 to 48 hours if the donor keeps a healthy diet with an adequate amount of fluids and proteins. A donor may donate two times every seven days, but not more than every other day.
How is the plasma removed?
Donating plasma is similar to donating blood. A needle is placed in the vein of an arm and blood is collected in sterile equipment. The plasma is separated from the red blood cells. The red blood cells are returned to the donor.
Can I get AIDS from donating plasma?
NO. Plasma donations are made in a highly controlled, aseptic environment by professionally trained staff. All plasma collection equipment is sterilized and equipment that comes in contact with the donor’s blood or plasma is used only once, eliminating the possibility of transmitting any viral infection.
What compensation do plasma donors receive?
To guarantee a safe and adequate supply of donors, the industry developed a system of donor compensation which recognizes the substantial commitment of personal time and effort required from donors. Current manufacturing supply requirements often demand that the donors visit a collection center up to twice per week for one and a half hours each visit. Donors at an International BioResources Plasma Center receive appropriate compensation, and donors can receive additional compensation for frequent donations and referring friends and family.
What products are made from plasma and what are their uses?
Over a million hospital patients use plasma therapies each year.
The listed products represent only a portion of the products manufactured
from plasma.
Albumin—120,000 burn victims per year rely on the
use of Albumin and 200,000 heart surgery patients receive Albumin
for fluid replacement. Generally, Albumin is used as a body fluid
replacement. Albumin is also often used as an ingredient in the
manufacture of many biotechnology products.
AHF—Antihemophilic Factor is used in the treatment
of the bleeding disorder. There are approximately 420,000 individuals
with hemophilia worldwide.
Immune Globulin—The major globulin product is Intravenous
Immune Globulin (IVIG), which is used to treat individuals exposed
to infectious disease when no vaccine is available. Immune Globulin
products are also used in the treatment of hepatitis, measles, rabies,
rubella, tetanus, smallpox and chicken pox. In addition, several
hundred infant deaths are prevented annually through the use of
Rh Immune Globulin prepared from plasma.
Plasma Protein Factor— Is prescribed for the restoration
of plasma volume subsequent to shock, trauma, surgery and burns.
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