Partnering With Africa’s Blood Transfusion & Plasma Medicine Sectors
The 11th International Congress of the African Society for Blood Transfusion (AfSBT) was held recently in Kampala, Uganda and Aegros was represented at the forum by CEO of Aegros Asia, Dr Ranjeet Ajmani who addressed the Congress on patient advocacy and public awareness.
Plasma derived medicinal products (PDMPs) are just as critical for patients across Africa as they are for patients elsewhere in the world, however access to these critical treatments has been hampered by socio-economic barriers, as well as by political, regulatory, and medical challenges.
It is just these challenges and barriers that the AfSBT seeks to overcome, through regular forums, as well as technical knowledge sharing, health equity advocacy, and medical education.
Aegros’ contribution to this conversation starts from the perspective that access to PDMPs should be a human right and not a privilege. Blood plasma is universal to humanity; and the benefits of the therapies that can be derived from it are as well, for there is no “matching” requirement such as affects whole blood which, for example, means that Type A blood can only be used by patients with the same type.
Yet seeking to bring the collection of blood plasma and the production of PDMPs up to a universal standard that matches the requirements of advanced economies will not gift to African nations, and the many patients who can benefit from PDMPs, access to the plasma medicines they so critically need.
Dr Ajmani’s presentation at the Congress was tailored to this conundrum: how do we advance the collection of blood plasma and the manufacture of PDMPs to a standard that meets local needs yet does not over-engineer these activities so that they remain unaffordable for emerging nations for yet another generation.
The reality of Africa’s present PMPD landscape are affected by many factors, including:
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Aegros knows that there is a path that leads to a local solution for these challenges, and it starts with the creation of blood transfusion and patient advocacy groups who can, within each jurisdiction, champion for their own right to treatment and urging regulators, health care policymakers, and communities to prioritise access to affordable and locally manufactured PDPMs.
With effective bottom-up advocacy, matched to the sharing of the technical skills and medical knowledge that occurs more generally through the work of the AfSBT, the benefits of plasma medicines made from locally-sourced plasma can be unleashed for the benefit of African patients and communities.
Aegros looks forward to working closely with patients, medical practitioners, and with governments across Africa to overcome these challenges and meet the needs for locally produced PDMPs.???
Dr Ajmani's presentation was very well-received and you can view the presentation at this link.