January 18, 2022

Grifols Egypt begins taking plasma donations

  • Following the Egyptian Drug Authority’s approval, donations started in the inaugural 6th of October flagship center, on the outskirts of Cairo, the first of 20 plasma collection locations planned for the country as part of the alliance between Grifols and Egypt’s National Service Projects Organization.
  • The innovative partnership is developing the world’s first integrated plasma-supply platform in which a government and plasma producer combine forces to ensure national and regional self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicines, a model that can be replicated.
  • Signed in November 2020, the alliance will also build a fractionation plant, a testing laboratory and Grifols Academy to develop local talent in the plasma field.

Barcelona, Spain, January 18, 2022 - Grifols (MCE:GRF, MCE:GRF.P, NASDAQ:GRFS), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines with a more than 110-year track record of contributing to the health and well-being of people around the world, and Egypt’s National Service Projects Organization (NSPO) have announced that their inaugural plasma center has begun receiving donations after being licensed by the Egyptian Drug Authority.

The flagship 6th of October Center is the first of 20 donation centers that Grifols Egypt for Plasma Derivatives will roll out across the country over the next two years.  Local donation regulations, including quality and safety standards, follow those of the U.S. FDA, which for decades has watched over the world’s largest and most proficient network of plasma collection centers. 

Over time, the plasma collected in Egypt will be converted into hemoderivatives in manufacturing installations in the country, including a plasma fractionation plant, a purification plant and testing and warehousing operations, all up and running by 2025. Until then, all collected plasma, as much as 1 million liters annually, will be processed in Spain before being returned.

Grifols and the NSPO signed their game-changing alliance in November 2020. For the first time anywhere a government entity and a private plasma company are building an integrated plasma-supply platform to ensure adequate national and regional supplies of plasma products. 

“The first plasma donations open the beginning of a new era for Egypt, which is now decisively on its way toward plasma self-sufficiency,” said Víctor Grifols Deu, co-CEO of Grifols. “Our alliance with the Egyptian government is an innovative and efficient model that will allow plasma therapies to be available on broad scale.”

“Once more, Egyptian healthcare is demonstrating regional leadership as we continue investing resources to enhance the well-being and quality of life of all Egyptians,” said Dr. Magdy Amin, CEO Grifols Egypt. 

The 6th of October building was officially inaugurated in October. In addition to the flagship donor center, the two-story complex also houses a testing laboratory for screening plasma and a training area belonging to The Grifols Academy, the company’s professional development program for employees, to develop talent locally.