5 ms·

The blood bank “profits” from every donation. That’s what a donation is. If you’re asking if they specifically test plasma for COVID-19 antibodies and scalp it

by ken 6y ago

The blood bank “profits” from every donation. That’s what a donation is. If you’re asking if they specifically test plasma for COVID-19 antibodies and scalp it to brokers, my guess is “probably not”. My blood bank has documentation about the disease tests they do, and they say nothing about testing for COVID-19 in particular.

disabled 6y ago
> The blood bank “profits” from every donation. That’s what a donation is. This especially applies for plasma donations, even though plasma donors (often poor people, and predominantly in the US) are paid for their donations (although a meager amount considering what is involved along with the side effects of plasmapheresis). Basically the US effectively supplies the majority of blood products for the world, and plasma is a precious human resource. The US also has extremely lax rules on plasma donation. There have been scandals relatively recently around paid plasma, where Mexican nationals on visitor visas cross the border 2-3 times a week to do this. The donations can in some cases be enough income to get by in Mexico (or so I heard, but probably not well). This is important due to cartel violence, as it is considered to be "safer". However, watch the video on this page which details the scandal: https://www.propublica.org/article/pharmaceutical-companies-are-luring-mexicans-across-the-u.s.-border-to-donate-blood-plasma https://www.propublica.org/article/pharmaceutical-companies-... The 2 main people in this video, Mexican nationals, ended up having severe health effects from the frequent (and legal) plasma donation route. In fact, the female in the video literally had a secondary immune deficiency from donating plasma so much, and if she continues (she was advised not to, by a Mexican doctor) she definitely can end up with a primary immune deficiency and other severe health problems. Sure, plasma donations are necessary (I require a blood product due to a rare neurological disease affecting my peripheral nervous system) but it is some really sad stuff, too. > If you’re asking if they specifically test plasma for COVID-19 antibodies and scalp it to brokers Sometimes these plasma companies do test regular donors for certain (often rare) antibodies, such as for whatever shot that is given to Rh negative mothers who are pregnant with a child that could be Rh positive.
- dehrmann 6y ago
  > Sometimes these plasma companies do test regular donors for certain (often rare) antibodies, such as for whatever shot that is given to Rh negative mothers who are pregnant with a child that could be Rh positive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(blood_donor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(blood_donor) This guy is in Wikipedia for being a blood donor. He's estimated to have saved 2.4 million lives.
- ken 6y ago
  There seems to be a big difference between “plasma companies”, and nonprofit research institutes which collect blood donations. I know factually that many people are paid for plasma, and that there’s a reason for it, but I’ve never been, and the concept feels very strange to me. The American Red Cross says plasma can be donated every 28 days, and my local blood bank follows this guideline. Donating twice a week is insane. Plasmapheresis is safe. Undergoing any procedure 10 times more frequently than recommended by doctors is a recipe for trouble.
dehrmann 6y ago
Why would they have to disclose all the tests they do?
- ken 6y ago
  They don’t. I’m simply reporting that they speak openly of their current research projects, like Zika and Dengue. I don’t see any reason they would keep quiet on a much more common disease.
dehrmann 6y ago
I get how there's a fear that paid donations would encourage people to either over-donate or people who shouldn't donate to donate, but it also feels sketchy that between patients, hospitals, middlemen, and collectors, money's exchanging hands at every level except the donor.
- disabled 6y ago
  Yeah, that is absolutely correct. I am not blaming the individuals here, and often they do not have any other choice. The plasma companies have quite the history involving scandals see: https://web.archive.org/web/20170401035608/http://taintedblood.info/timeline.php?mode=latest&launch=true https://web.archive.org/web/20170401035608/http://taintedblo... Generally blood products derived from plasma cost about double for the exact same quantity in the US, compared to other developed countries with universal healthcare (excluding Switzerland). For example, the going rate for the blood product I take, in the developed world, is 40 Euro per gram (roughly $50/gram). My US health insurance pays out (not what is being billed by the provider--which is way, way more), under contract, $100/gram for the blood product. I take around a couple hundred to a few hundred grams per month. So, yes, even that alone is scandalous.

by ken 6y ago

disabled 6y ago

> The blood bank “profits” from every donation. That’s what a donation is. This especially applies for plasma donations, even though plasma donors (often poor people, and predominantly in the US) are paid for their donations (although a meager amount considering what is involved along with the side effects of plasmapheresis). Basically the US effectively supplies the majority of blood products for the world, and plasma is a precious human resource. The US also has extremely lax rules on plasma donation. There have been scandals relatively recently around paid plasma, where Mexican nationals on visitor visas cross the border 2-3 times a week to do this. The donations can in some cases be enough income to get by in Mexico (or so I heard, but probably not well). This is important due to cartel violence, as it is considered to be "safer". However, watch the video on this page which details the scandal: https://www.propublica.org/article/pharmaceutical-companies-are-luring-mexicans-across-the-u.s.-border-to-donate-blood-plasma https://www.propublica.org/article/pharmaceutical-companies-... The 2 main people in this video, Mexican nationals, ended up having severe health effects from the frequent (and legal) plasma donation route. In fact, the female in the video literally had a secondary immune deficiency from donating plasma so much, and if she continues (she was advised not to, by a Mexican doctor) she definitely can end up with a primary immune deficiency and other severe health problems. Sure, plasma donations are necessary (I require a blood product due to a rare neurological disease affecting my peripheral nervous system) but it is some really sad stuff, too. > If you’re asking if they specifically test plasma for COVID-19 antibodies and scalp it to brokers Sometimes these plasma companies do test regular donors for certain (often rare) antibodies, such as for whatever shot that is given to Rh negative mothers who are pregnant with a child that could be Rh positive.

dehrmann 6y ago
> Sometimes these plasma companies do test regular donors for certain (often rare) antibodies, such as for whatever shot that is given to Rh negative mothers who are pregnant with a child that could be Rh positive. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(blood_donor) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(blood_donor) This guy is in Wikipedia for being a blood donor. He's estimated to have saved 2.4 million lives.
ken 6y ago
There seems to be a big difference between “plasma companies”, and nonprofit research institutes which collect blood donations. I know factually that many people are paid for plasma, and that there’s a reason for it, but I’ve never been, and the concept feels very strange to me. The American Red Cross says plasma can be donated every 28 days, and my local blood bank follows this guideline. Donating twice a week is insane. Plasmapheresis is safe. Undergoing any procedure 10 times more frequently than recommended by doctors is a recipe for trouble.

dehrmann 6y ago

Why would they have to disclose all the tests they do?

ken 6y ago
They don’t. I’m simply reporting that they speak openly of their current research projects, like Zika and Dengue. I don’t see any reason they would keep quiet on a much more common disease.

dehrmann 6y ago

I get how there's a fear that paid donations would encourage people to either over-donate or people who shouldn't donate to donate, but it also feels sketchy that between patients, hospitals, middlemen, and collectors, money's exchanging hands at every level except the donor.

disabled 6y ago
Yeah, that is absolutely correct. I am not blaming the individuals here, and often they do not have any other choice. The plasma companies have quite the history involving scandals see: https://web.archive.org/web/20170401035608/http://taintedblood.info/timeline.php?mode=latest&launch=true https://web.archive.org/web/20170401035608/http://taintedblo... Generally blood products derived from plasma cost about double for the exact same quantity in the US, compared to other developed countries with universal healthcare (excluding Switzerland). For example, the going rate for the blood product I take, in the developed world, is 40 Euro per gram (roughly $50/gram). My US health insurance pays out (not what is being billed by the provider--which is way, way more), under contract, $100/gram for the blood product. I take around a couple hundred to a few hundred grams per month. So, yes, even that alone is scandalous.