Emerging Opportunities in the global Blood Plasma Industry

Blood plasma offers a life-changing treatment to seriously ill patients. The salts, water, enzymes, antibodies, proteins, clotting factors and immunoglobulins extracted from the plasma after blood donation can treat a staggering number of health problems, and it’s this factor that’s prompting considerable growth within the market. With this growth comes bountiful opportunities for companies to assert themselves – as we will be exploring below.

Valued at $31.4 billion in 2021, BCC Research forecasts the market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6% to reach $45.7 billion by 2027. Let’s explore the emerging opportunities for blood plasma product manufacturers.

Growing investments in plasma fractionation capacities

Numerous plasma product manufacturers are focusing on enhancing their plasma collection and fractionation capabilities. Business expansions, opening R&D facilities and acquiring new facilities are all actions being explored by manufacturers, which is creating significant opportunities in the market. For example, in late 2022, biotech company CSL opened a new $900 million plasma fractionation facility in Australia. The new facility allows CSL to process up to 9.2 million plasma equivalent liters per year, a nine-fold increase in its current capacity from the site. In September 2022, Takeda announced plans to invest nearly $300 million to construct a new production facility and a warehouse for plasma-derived therapies in Belgium. That’s not all: In July 2021, Grifols signed an agreement with ImmunoTek to open 21 plasma centers for business expansion. The companies plan to complete the construction and begin operations of the 21 plants by October 2022. These expansions are allowing companies to increase their plasma processing and product manufacturing capabilities, spelling out good news for the market.

Rising incidence of hemophilia

Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder that affects the blood’s ability to clot. Global incidences of the disease are rising, and currently, there is no cure. Fortunately, those who suffer from the illness can be treated with blood plasma throughout their lifetime. The average annual medical cost of clotting factor therapies for a person with severe hemophilia is approximately $300,000 in the US – over a lifetime, this can reach as much as $20,000,000, according to the Journal of Medical Economics. As cases rise, healthcare professionals will be in higher demand to treat patients through blood plasma, signaling increased opportunities for product manufacturers.

Opportunities in emerging markets

Due to large aging populations and unmet medical needs, emerging nations offer significant growth opportunities for the blood plasma products market. According to a 2022 WHO article, more people are volunteering to donate blood in Asia. Healthcare systems in these markets have been undergoing rapid changes in healthcare investments and infrastructure, with many countries focusing on establishing infrastructure to produce high-quality blood plasma products. Moreover, the increased focus of international companies on cost-effectiveness and scalability will result in their catering to the needs of rising aging populations. This vast patient pool and the unmet medical needs for advanced treatment options make emerging nations enormously attractive for blood plasma product manufacturers.

High costs could limit the market

Several emerging blood plasma therapies are widely accepted as treatments, but their integration comes at a price. For example: fresh frozen plasma (FFP) has witnessed considerable growth in recent years but has increased healthcare expenditures. It takes over 1,300 human donations to treat one patient with rare immunodeficiency disease for more than a year to manufacture the medicine.

Unlike the traditional pharmaceutical industry, manufacturing costs comprise a relatively large share of expenses for blood plasma products. In most cases, the intellectual property is related to manufacturing techniques rather than the blood plasma products themselves. Generating adequate volumes of plasma for fractionation requires the high up-front cost of plasmapheresis, which requires specific knowledge, technical skill sets and complex logistic requirements to manufacture. Understandably, this doesn’t come cheap.

Human plasma contains over three-hundred proteins which can only be separated through multiple stages of fractionation, filtration, and purification. Plus, the specific storage and handling requirements of blood plasma further raise costs. The high costs limit patient access to these products, particularly in developing countries. The high human and initial investment costs make it difficult for new entrants to enter this market, potentially stifling growth.

Discover more about the market for blood plasma products

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