Health
Whole blood, platelets, fresh frozen plasma, and clotting factors from voluntary donations.
Why it matters · Regional hospital rationing after natural disasters, mass casualty events, or donation shortfalls.
3
Inputs
9
Companies
3
Facilities
5
Source countries
How it's made
Plasma/Blood Collection
Source plasma collected via plasmapheresis (donors give plasma only, 2x per week in US paid model) or from whole blood donations; platelets collected by apheresis; US collects ~40M+ liters of plasma annually from 50M+ collections; donor eligibility screened per FDA/EMA standards
Testing, Quarantine & Cold Storage
Each unit tested for HIV, HCV, HBV, syphilis, HTLV, West Nile; plasma quarantined at -20°C until donor returns without seroconversion; whole blood tested and typed; entire batch held until pathogen-free results confirmed
Plasma Fractionation (Cohn Cold Ethanol Process)
Sequential cold ethanol precipitation at defined concentrations (40%, 25%, 20%, 5-10%) with controlled pH, temperature, and osmolality; separates plasma proteins by solubility into Fraction I (fibrinogen), II+III (immunoglobulins), IV (albumin + lipoproteins), V (albumin); only 30-40 fractionation plants worldwide
Purification via Chromatography
Multiple chromatography steps extract target proteins to 95-97% purity; immunoglobulin G (IgG) purified for IVIG; albumin concentrated; Factor VIII purified for hemophilia treatment; contaminating proteins, lipids, and DNA removed
Viral Inactivation (Multi-Step Safety)
Mandatory multi-step viral inactivation learned from 1980s HIV/HCV plasma disasters: solvent/detergent (TnBP + Tween) destroys enveloped viruses; pasteurization (60°C × 10 hours); nanofiltration removes non-enveloped viruses; low pH and UV treatment; adds 2-4 weeks to production timeline per safety step
Formulation, Fill & Finish
Purified proteins formulated with stabilizers (sugars, amino acids), pH adjusted, and diluted to therapeutic concentration; aseptically filled into glass vials or IV bags; lyophilization (freeze-drying) for clotting factors to extend shelf life to 2-3 years vs. weeks for liquid formulations
Quality Release & Batch Testing
Each batch released only after potency, sterility, purity, and safety testing; average time from plasma donation to patient administration: 7-12 months (IVIG ~9 months); FDA/EMA lot release required for each batch; no expedited pathway — this lag is irreducible
What it's made of
3 raw inputs feed blood products. Inputs flagged with ● are critical, without them, production halts.
Where it comes from
Weighted share of upstream inputs sourced from each country.
| Country | Weighted share | Inputs supplied to blood products |
|---|---|---|
| USUnited States | 48% | Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation) · Whole Blood (Volunteer Donation) |
| DEGermany | 7% | Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation) · Whole Blood (Volunteer Donation) |
| ATAustria | 5% | Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation) |
| CZCzech Republic | 5% | Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation) |
| GBUnited Kingdom | 5% | Whole Blood (Volunteer Donation) |
Who makes it
9 companies in this supply chain, sorted by market share.
Largest US blood services organization; supplies 40% of US whole blood and blood components (red blood cells, platelets, plasma) from volunteer-only donations; does not perform commercial plasma fractionation; declared severe shortage after 35% supply drop in January 2026
Supplies these inputs
Whole Blood (Volunteer Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 30% · 0 mo to replace
Business segments
Largest plasma fractionator globally; ~33% market share; operates the world's single largest fractionation facility (Broadmeadows, Australia, processing 10M+ liters/year); subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL); acquired Vifor Pharma 2022
Supplies these inputs
Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 10% · 18 mo to replace
Business segments
Vitalant (Scottsdale AZ; nonprofit 501(c)(3); formed by merger of Blood Systems, United Blood Services, and BloodSource in 2017-2019; ~$800M revenue) is the largest nonprofit blood bank in the US by number of donation centers — operating 120+ donation centers and serving 850+ hospitals across 28 states. Vitalant collects approximately 30% of US whole blood supply. Vitalant's geographic strength is the US Mountain West, Southwest, and Pacific Northwest — regions served by relatively few large blood centers. Vitalant's formation through the merger of multiple regional blood banks was driven by economies of scale in blood processing, testing, and distribution. Vitalant introduced blood delivery by drone (Zipline partnership) for remote hospital delivery in Rwanda before US regulatory approval.
Supplies these inputs
Whole Blood (Volunteer Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 30% · 0 mo to replace
Business segments
Second-largest plasma company globally; operates 400+ plasma collection centers worldwide; processes ~25% of global plasma supply; investing EUR 160M in Barcelona fractionation expansion (2025); major US presence through Talecris acquisition
Supplies these inputs
Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 10% · 18 mo to replace
Business segments
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Tokyo Japan; TSE: 4502; NYSE: TAK; ~¥4.3T revenue; Japan's largest pharmaceutical company) is the world's #3 plasma fractionator through its Plasma-Derived Therapeutics (PDT) business division — the operations acquired from Baxter International's BioScience division in 2014 (BaxAlt / Baxalta acquisition completed 2016 for $32B). Takeda's PDT segment produces IVIG (GAMMAGARD LIQUID, HYQVIA), albumin, Factor VIII/IX/VWF products, and alpha-1 antitrypsin (GLASSIA) for immunodeficiency, hemophilia, hereditary angioedema, and respiratory disease patients globally. Takeda operates plasma collection centers under the BioLife Plasma Services brand in the US (300+ centers) and fractionation facilities in Lessines Belgium, Los Angeles CA, Covington GA, and Atlanta GA. Takeda's 2016 $32B acquisition of Shire (including Shire's Baxalta plasma business) was the largest acquisition in Japanese corporate history at the time.
Supplies these inputs
Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 15% · 18 mo to replace
Business segments
Third-largest plasma fractionator (~29.5% market share); built through acquisitions of Shire (2019, $62B) and Baxalta; major hemophilia and immunology plasma portfolio; PDT (plasma-derived therapies) division is a standalone business unit
Supplies these inputs
Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation)
Business segments
New York Blood Center Enterprises (New York NY; nonprofit; formed 2019 by merger of NYBC + New England region blood centers + Southeast region; ~$700M revenue) is one of the largest US blood bank organizations — supplying blood to 200+ hospitals in New York, New Jersey, New England, and Southeast states. NYBC operates the New York City metropolitan area blood supply — one of the most complex transfusion medicine markets in the world. NYBC's research division has done foundational work in blood storage duration and transfusion outcomes. NYBC holds the blood supply contracts for Memorial Sloan Kettering, NYU Langone, and most major NYC hospital systems. In 2024, NYBC faced controversy when its lease for a Harlem community blood center — historically serving Black blood donors critical for sickle cell disease patients — was ended; advocates argued this reduced access to race-matched donors for sickle cell community.
Supplies these inputs
Whole Blood (Volunteer Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 30% · 0 mo to replace
Business segments
Octapharma AG (Lachen, Schwyz Switzerland; private; founded 1983 by Wolfgang Marguerre who remains owner; ~€3.5B revenue) is the world's largest privately-owned plasma fractionator — and the largest plasma company not listed on a stock exchange. Octapharma produces IVIG (Octagam, Gammaplex), albumin (Albiomin), Factor VIII/IX (Nuwiq, Wilate), and clotting factors from plasma collected at its 250+ OctaPlasma collection centers in the US and Europe. Octapharma's willingness to remain private gives it long-term investment horizons that publicly-traded competitors face pressure against. Octapharma operates fractionation facilities in Vienna Austria, Springe Germany, Stockholm Sweden, Copenhagen Denmark, and Lingolsheim France. Founded by a single Austrian pharmacist, Octapharma has grown to become a major global pharmaceutical company through retained earnings rather than capital markets.
Supplies these inputs
Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation)
Replaceability
Substitutability 15% · 18 mo to replace
Business segments
Fourth-largest plasma fractionator globally (~10-12% market share); privately owned; operates 190+ plasma donation centers and multiple fractionation plants; major supplier of IVIG, albumin, and von Willebrand factor to European and US markets
Supplies these inputs
Human Source Plasma (Paid Donation)
Business segments
Where it's made
3 facilities producing inputs that feed blood products.
American Red Cross Blood Services · National (35 blood regions) · Blood Collection & Processing
Operates 35 blood regions with ~900 donation sites; collects 40% of US blood supply; January 2026 shortage hit 35% supply drop in one month; platelet collections particularly vulnerable to donor fatigue and seasonal variation
CSL Behring · Broadmeadows, Victoria · Plasma Fractionation
World's single largest plasma fractionation facility; processes 10M+ liters of plasma annually; CSL is expanding Australian capacity by 9x; disruption at this site would remove ~10% of global fractionated plasma product supply
Grifols · Barcelona, Catalonia · Plasma Fractionation
Main European fractionation site; EUR 160M expansion announced 2025; flagship manufacturing campus for Grifols plasma products supplying European markets
