Last episode, we discussed the dangers of the blood plasma industry in the U.S., specifically the global reliance on American plasma, and the ethical pitfalls of corporate compensations, which leads to long-term negative health implications for poorer communities. Various loopholes and unreasonable donation limits allow plasma corporations to exploit those who need the additional income to supplement their unreasonable wages.
On August 23rd, the Food and Drugs Administration, here in the U.S., issued an Emergency Use Authorization of convalescent blood plasma to fight COVID-19. According to the letter of authorization:
" ...that the scope of this authorization is limited to the use of the authorized COVID-19 convalescent plasma for the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The emergency use of the authorized COVID-19 convalescent plasma under this EUA must be consistent with, and may not exceed, the terms of this letter, including the scope and the conditions of authorization set forth below."
The use of blood plasma as a treatment for COVID-19 is restricted for use with hospitalized patients, and the plasma that is labelled for use with COVID patients will be extracted from donors who pass a series of requirements as listed here on the FDA website:
" COVID-19 convalescent plasma is collected from individuals who meet the following qualifications: Evidence of COVID-19 documented by a laboratory test either by: A diagnostic test (e.g., nasopharyngeal swab) at the time of illness OR a positive serological test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies after recovery, if prior diagnostic testing was not performed at the time COVID-19 was suspected. Complete resolution of symptoms at least 14 days before the donation. A negative result for COVID-19 by a diagnostic test is not necessary to qualify the donor.
Essentially, this section states that the donor must have antibodies as determined by testing or demonstrated a resolution of COVID symptoms 14 days after a test. Survivors become a commodity for these companies, looking to extract as much wealth and convalescent plasma as they can during the pandemic. The original framework of collecting the plasma still remains under corporate discretion, as it did before the FDA approved the treatment. Plasma companies are largely shifting towards a COVID-oriented collection strategy, aggressively advertising and offering up to $100 dollars per donation, sometimes more, depending on the number of donations.
Migrants who come to the U.S. from Mexico on B-1 and B-2 Visas to donate blood have been blocked at the border under a travel restriction by the U.S. According to the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Mexico, people travelling from Mexico to donate blood in the U.S. does not fall into any category that would be considered "essential travel" and, therefore, would be not allowed until, at least, September 21st. A large part of certain migrant groups' income will have been cut off, as a result of the predatory nature of the plasma companies, and the donor pool for higher paying COVID antibody plasma has been restricted as well. Shortages of potential donors during travel bans may be another problem with this FDA recommendation. Migrant communities and border clinics harvest the most plasma. An article in ProPublica states:
"The border clinics are the most productive, according to internal Grifols documents obtained by ARD. While most U.S. centers receive around 1,000 paid donations a week, centers at the border count more than 2,300. The documents show that border centers also rank highest in donor frequency; they top of list of centers with customers who donate 75 times or more per year."
Maybe this will open the path to poorer communities being less dependent on plasma donations in the future, but for right now, there is a steep drop in income that will harm families and individuals immediately. Additionally, there may be short -term shortages in plasma, due to the travel ban. The health hazards of donating in excess still remain, as the FDA recommendations still do not address the limit for donating plasma, which means dependent donors in the U.S. who are eligible to donate will likely continue to risk their health for income, under similar medical oversight as before.
Because this convalescent plasma treatment is in its early stages, it is hard to predict the success of the FDA's recommendation, especially with such modest reports from trials in June and July by the University of Minnesota and the University of California San Diego. Hopefully, more media coverage of blood plasma will lead to standardized practices and better research on plasma's efficacy in the long-term, but there is an invisible side to the widespread use of convalescent plasma in the U.S. for COVID treatment.
Thank you for reading.
(P.S. Episodes on the Black Lives Matter movement are in the works. I refuse to stay silent on this issue of systemic racism that plagues our country)
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