Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate International Plasma Awareness Week, which will occur October 12 to 18, 2014. During this time, there will be observances throughout the United States and Europe designed to raise global awareness of the need for plasma to create lifesaving therapies, recognize the value that plasma donors contribute in saving and improving lives, and increase understanding of rare diseases and plasma protein therapies.
Raising awareness about plasma protein therapies is vitally important for the following reasons:
Plasma-derived therapies and recombinant blood clotting factors, collectively known as plasma protein therapies, are unique, biological products for which no substitutes or alternative treatments exist. They save and improve lives of individuals throughout the world;
Plasma protein therapies are used to treat bleeding disorders, primary immune deficiency diseases, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and certain rare, neurological disorders;
These therapies are also used in emergency and surgical medicine to save and improve lives;
Plasma protein therapies have significantly improved the quality of life of, markedly improved patient outcomes for, and extended the life expectancy of individuals with rare, chronic diseases and conditions;
Healthy, committed donors provide plasma essential to manufacture these lifesaving therapies; and
There are over 430 plasma collection centers in the U.S. that have demonstrated their commitment to plasma donor and patient safety and quality by earning International Quality Plasma Program (IQPP) certification.
I ask that my colleagues in the House of Representatives join me and rise in commemoration of International Plasma Awareness Week, a time dedicated to raising awareness about crucial, lifesaving therapies attained through using plasma proteins.