Which companies (US based and internatonal) purchase human source
plasma from independent collection sites?

Teton,

 There are many blood collection centers in the US and throughout the
world.

Plasmacare 
                   http://www.plasmacare.com/

The American Red Cross 
                                                                      
                           
http://www.redcross.org/services/biomed/plasma/plasma.html

and American Blood Centers (US and Canada)

                    http://66.155.15.152/default.htm

are several of the largest collectors of Human plasma in the US.

The collection centers usually sell the plasma to research
organizations, pharmaceutical companies, and research
universities.When I first started working in a blood bank, in the
early 70's, we removed the plasma portion of donor blood  units
intended for transfusion.(It's done automatically now) The cells were
transfused into patients, and the plasma portion was picked up by
research and pharmaceutical companies. (Transfusing the red cell
portion only and not plasma netted fewer transfusion reactions to
debilitated patients)

Few people knew then that many of our vaccines were made of human
plasma! (Today they are generally NOT made from human plasma). Human
plasma also goes into the making of many hospital and research
laboratories reagents. Reagents are "serums" used in testing human
blood for various diseases as well as testing blood group and typing,
and antibody detection)

    Viragen purchases large amounts from American Red Cross, whom it
says is the largest provider of blood products in the us.
             http://www.viragen.com/pressreleases/1998/virpr091598.htm

    Aventis-Behring also buys and sells plasma in Germany, Japan,
Spain, Brazil, and the UK.
          http://www.aventisbehring.com/Aventisbehring/index

    Baxter is a large purchaser of human plasma...
            http://www.baxter.com/patients/donors/index.html

    as well as The National Hemophilia Foundation
             http://www.hemophilia.org/home.htm



In Russia, Orbit Enterprises oversees collection and use of blood and
blood products (plasma, platelets, coagulation factors)

                  http://www.orbitenterprises.com/

In Switzerland , Australia and the US , ZLB Bioplasma maintains one of
the world's largest plasma collection and processing centers.

                   http://www.zlb.com/

 


Check this site for it's uses of human plasma.

                  http://www.innov-research.com/index.htm 



Japan uses 3 times the amount of human blood plasma than the US.
There are close to 400 plasma collection centers in the US! The
average healthy adult can sell enough plasma in a year to equal 21
times their normal plasma volume.

This site has interesting facts about plasma and it's uses. 

             http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a378acb362f34.htm



This page has a list of links to companies and organizations that use
human plasma.
             http://www.plasmainfo.org/links.asp?m=about

Yet another informative site with a good summary of plasma and it's
uses

            http://www.plasmainfo.org/abra.asp?page=faq&m=about

So much to know about plasma! Thanks, crabcakes-ga