NACO to set up Rs 250 cr plasma fractionation centre in Chennai soon

June 9, 2010

Tuesday, June 08, 2010 08:00 IST

Ramesh Shankar, Mumbai

After dilly-dallying on the issue for a long time, the National AIDS Control

Organization (NACO) has started the initiative for setting up a plasma

fractionation centre in Chennai for which the central government had already

earmarked Rs 250 crore. The centre will have a capacity to process more than 1.5

lakh litres of plasma and is being established as part of the ongoing National

AIDS Control Programme- phase-III to ensure access of plasma derivatives to

needy patients at affordable prices.

According to sources, NACO will engage the services of an experienced

organization as project management consultant (PMC) for setting up the centre.

In order to initiate the project, NACO has invited expression of interest (EOI)

from reputed organisations to serve as PMC. The scope of work for PMC will be to

assist NACO in implementation of this project starting from conceptualizing the

project using Cohn n Chromatography Technology as a process, prepare design,

other documents and assist in procurement of goods, works and services and

supervise implementation as per the timelines agreed, till the time, the project

is handed over to NACO.

Government of India is implementing this project as a `centrally sponsored

scheme'. The state-of-the-art facility with the latest technology and equipment

is expected to reduce the dependence to imports of factor VIII and factor IX

derivatives and save foreign exchange. It will manufacture all important plasma

derivatives which are presently being imported. The imported plasma derivatives

are expensive and not accessible to all the needy patients. The centre will be

operated on a self-sustained, non-profit model in the public sector.

Plasma is one of the components of blood and can be used for preparation of

several plasma derivatives. Transfusion of plasma and administration of plasma

fractionation derivatives is indicated for many medical conditions such as

Haemophilia-A, Haemophilia -B, Von-Willebrnd's disease, Immunodeficiencies, and

others. These patients require periodic transfusion of a desired plasma product

for their clinical management. However, in the absence of access to these

derivatives, whole blood is used which is a sub-optimal use of the blood.

The bulk demand for the plasma components is met through imports. Plasma and

plasma derivatives are not accessible to the economically poor patients due to

high costs. Haemophiliacs need to take Anti Hemophilic Factor (AHF) at periodic

intervals or lifelong, depending on the severity of the condition.

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