Collection of Plasma
Blood and plasma donation in France
In France, plasma, blood and platelets donation are voluntary, anonymous and unpaid.
The “Etablissement Français du Sang” (French Blood Establishment – EFS), is the public blood service in France, the only one authorized to collect plasma for fractionation.
The Plasma Sector in France
The French system for the collection of blood and blood products was radically restructured in the 1990s.
In 1993, the missions were divided up between the following operators:
- the French Blood Agency, which later became the French Blood Establishment (EFS), the sole operator for blood transfusions,
- the Laboratoire français du fractionnement et des biotechnologies (LFB or French Laboratory for Fractionation and Biotechnology), created in 1994, is charged with fractionation, that is to say transforming plasma from the EFS into medicinal products.
In 1998, responsibility for the safety of blood-derived products was handed over to the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM).
The French plasma sector, an asset for health sovereignty and for patients.
The collection and production of plasma-derived medicinal products in France is part of a highly stringent overarching system that controls blood and its derivatives from "donor to patient".
Under the French law of 1 July 1998, the main mission of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) is to ensure national self-sufficiency for blood products.
The EFS has a monopoly on the collection of blood and its components in France. It supplies LFB with the plasma used to manufacture medicinal products.
Collection of plasma in Europe
Europlasma is an Austrian company founded in 1986. It was acquired by LFB in 2010.
Since 2024, Europlasma has managed 25 plasma collection centres in Central Europe: 15 centres in the Czech Republic, 9 in Austria, and 1 in Germany, where volunteers can donate blood plasma.
Europlasma’s mission is to offer donors a pleasant environment while ensuring the highest quality and safety standards.
Due to the increase in the number of patients to be treated in Europe, Europlasma strives to increase its plasma collection capacity t o meet growing plasma derived medicinal products demand.
Collection of plasma in the United States of AMERICA
Through its subsidiary LFB Plasma, LFB is also present in the USA.
LFB has 6 plasma and blood collection centres in the states of Alabama, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.
In accordance with US FDA requirements, only medicinal products derived from plasma donated in the USA can be sold in the USA.
