BioLife Plasma Services, part of the global biopharmaceutical company Takeda, today announced the opening of its 200th plasma donation center in the United States (U.S.)., with new locations in West Springfield, Mass. and Pearland, Texas. This is an important milestone in BioLife’s broader expansion plans to continue opening centers in the U.S. to address the urgent and growing need for plasma.
“Strategic expansion of our U.S. operations is essential to help ensure people with rare and serious conditions such as primary immune deficiency, hemophilia, and other critical health conditions, are able to receive life-saving plasma therapies.” said Tori Weber, head of U.S. Operations at BioLife Plasma Services. “The 200th center opening is a tremendous milestone, and we look forward to continued expansion that gives more people the opportunity to donate to help change or save a life.”
The West Springfield and Pearland centers join a growing network of modern plasma donation centers across more than 36 states in the U.S. The opening of a new BioLife plasma donation center in the U.S. brings $4-5 million contribution to the local community annually through donor compensation, with nearly 80 percent of that spent within the community. Each new center engages with the local community through the creation of up to 70 new jobs, participation in community activities, establishing relationships with local leaders and supporting educational programs.
Expansion of the number of plasma donation centers is one of several ways BioLife is seeking to engage potential donors. Our centers offer an inclusive and equitable plasma donation process that treats all potential donors with equality and respect. BioLife is transforming plasma donation by unleashing the full power of data, digital, and technology advancements across the entire network and operations – all to meet the growing needs of donors, patients, staff, and the planet. A dedicated cross-functional team manages the expansion plan to guarantee quality and consistency across centers and to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and comfort of donors.
BioLife operates more than 50 bilingual centers in the U.S., allowing community members to complete the entire plasma donation process in English or Spanish.This means donors can browse our website and scheduling app in Spanish and interact with Spanish speaking staff in the center.
Prospective donors can make an appointment to visit the West Springfield donation center at 239 Memorial Ave A, West Springfield, MA 01089, and the Pearland donation center at 3020 Kirby Dr, Pearland, TX 77584, which are both now open. Prior to donating, prospective donors must pass a physical examination screening and complete a medical history assessment with a medical professional on their first visit and will be screened at each future visit to ensure they meet eligibility criteria. All donors are compensated for their time, effort and possible expenses incurred.
To learn more about BioLife, the donation process, and to schedule an appointment, please visit the BioLife website.
About BioLife Plasma Services
BioLife Plasma Services is an industry leader in the collection of high-quality plasma that is processed into life-saving plasma therapies. Founded in 2002, BioLife has been in operation for more than 21 years. We operate more than 230 state-of-the-art plasma collection facilities across the United States and Europe. BioLife Plasma Services is part of Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK), a global biopharmaceutical company that produces and delivers plasma therapies among other specialty medicines. For more information, visit BioLifePlasma.com.
About Takeda
Takeda is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments, guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Rare Genetics and Hematology, Neuroscience, and Gastroenterology (GI), with expertise in immune and inflammatory diseases. We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people’s lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com.
About Plasma
Plasma is the clear, straw-colored liquid portion of blood that can be easily replaced by the body. Plasma makes up more than half of whole blood and consists primarily of water and proteins. During plasma donation, a donor’s blood is collected into an automated device that separates the plasma from the other whole blood components, including red and white blood cells and platelets. While the plasma is collected, the other blood components are returned to the donor. Each donation procedure uses sterile and disposable collection materials. The body quickly replaces the plasma removed during the donation process, which allows healthy individuals to donate as often as twice in a seven-day period, with at least one day between donations.
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