active
ACTIVE SINCE: 2022

Takeda and UNITAR Plasma 4 Life

Initiative led by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and supported by Takeda to strengthen healthcare systems to meet patients’ need for plasma and plasma-derived therapies.
SDGS CONTRIBUTING TO:
SHOW SUB-TARGETS + HIDE SUB-TARGETS -
MEMBER COMPANIES:
Intergovernmental Organizations and Multilaterals 1
Objectives

Establish a platform that will bring together experts, patients, healthcare professionals, policymakers, government officials, and industry representatives to work towards strengthening resilience of health systems to meet global patient need for plasma and plasma derived therapies through development of knowledge base, and policies and standards that govern quality and safety of plasma collection for manufacturing, based on the latest scientific evidence, best practices and recommendations.

Plasma-derived therapies (PDTs) are critical, life-transforming treatments that can only be produced from human plasma. PDTs are used to treat a range of rare and complex conditions like, immunodeficiencies, peripheral nerve disorders and bleeding disorders among others. However, global patient need far outpaces available supply. This is largely due to increasing and earlier diagnosis and an inadequate supply of donated plasma due to policies and regulations that lag behind scientific progress. Furthermore, unequal access to vital plasma therapies, especially in low- and middle-income countries, leaves some patients with inadequate treatment and aggravates global health inequity.

This initiative aims to find local solutions to the global issue of sustainable plasma supply used to manufacture critical lifesaving plasma-derived therapies for patients who rely on them globally by achieving the following objectives:
• Establish multi-stakeholder working groups in pilot countries to work towards and identify a shared vision and pathway towards strengthening local health systems to meet patient need for PDTs
• Establish a public knowledge platform based on up-to-date scientific evidence and best practices to become the go-to reference for experts, decision makers and the public
• Deliver targeted training, awareness and education among the community of experts and decision-makers
• Raise global awareness among international stakeholder community on the initiative
• Define pathway for scaling up the project and expanding the partnership

Results and milestones

• Successfully launched and piloted in 2022 in two countries: Malaysia and Argentina
• Delivered thematic expert webinars in 2023 for policymakers and healthcare professionals in pilot countries (ongoing)
• Officially launched in April 2023 the partnership and its online knowledge hub Plasma4Life to policymakers and the public
• Global patient organizations (International Patient Organization for Primary Immunodeficiency IPOPI, World Federation of Hemophilia WFH and GBS|CIDP Foundation International) and industry association Plasma Protein Therapeutics
Association PPTA joined as knowledge partners in 2023
• Published in October 2023 a UNITAR-Takeda co-authored article on role of this partnership in addressing global health inequities on WEF’s Agenda blog post

Geographic Reach
  • Global Commitment
  • Americas
  • Western Pacific
Disease Area
  • Rare diseases
  • Non-communicable diseases
See Disease Areas
Partner organizations
Intergovernmental Organizations and Multilaterals
United Nations Institute for Training and Research
(UNITAR)

Knowledge Partners; International Patient Organization for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI) World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) GBS|CIDP Foundation International Plasma Protein Therapeutic Association (PPTA)