'Life-saving treatment': NHS marks a year of UK plasma donations

As the NHS marks a year of using UK‑donated plasma, one London patient says the treatment has stabilised his symptoms and given him back his independence.

Since 2011, Niall Whatney from Brixton in south London has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) - a condition that once left him relying on injections every three days to stay well.

Now, he receives treatment at King's College Hospital made from donated blood plasma - which has helped stabilise his symptoms and helped him "crack on and get things done".

The 63-year-old told BBC London how he originally "shrugged off his symptoms" until he collapsed at his GP when the MS was attacking.

Whatney was offered HSCT (haematopoietic stem cell transplantation) - a treatment involving intense chemotherapy to completely wipe out and "reset" the immune system - but this treatment did not work as hoped.

Now, he instead relies on monthly intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) infusions at King's College Hospital, a treatment made from blood plasma, to keep him well and out of hospital - which has proved a great success.

He describes the treatment as "life-saving and life-changing" because "without your immune system working properly, you're in a world of hurt".

Whatney added: "It's a wonder drug to be honest with you, and it brings your level right up again, so your immune system has a better chance of dealing with anything across the board.

Instead of visiting the hospital every three days for stomach injections to raise neutrophil and white cell levels, Whatney can now come in every four weeks.

This week, the NHS is celebrating one year since patients first began receiving life‑saving medicines made from plasma donated specifically by people across the UK.

The UK banned the use of home‑donated plasma in 1998 over fears it could transmit variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of "mad cow disease", which led the NHS to rely on imported supplies for more than two decades.

The UK government lifted the ban on using UK‑donated plasma for immunoglobulin medicines in February 2021 and precautionary measures are in place to ensure every batch is safe.

The UK still imports the majority of its plasma medicines, primarily from the United States.

With the UK able to meet just 23% of its own demand for immunoglobulin, the antibodies many patients rely on, the NHS is highly dependent on imports.

Any interruption to international supply could put patients at potentially life threatening risk.

Looking ahead, the aim is for Britain to become self-sufficient in blood plasma and the NHS is encouraging more people to donate at its three plasma donors centres, in Reading, Twickenham and Birmingham.

Donna Cullen, a deputy chief nurse at King's College Hospital, said there were around 50,000 rare autoimmune disorders and disease, and about 17,000 patients in the UK reliant on medicines made from plasma to help keep them healthy.

"There's not much that you can do with an hour of your time to make such a big difference to somebody's life, but donating plasma absolutely does that," she said.

Plasma makes up about 55% of our blood and carries antibodies, known as immunoglobulins, which help support and stabilise the immune system.

These antibodies can be made into medicines for people with rare diseases, immune disorders and genetic conditions.

When you donate blood, all components including plasma are collected.

In a plasma‑only donation, your blood passes through a machine that separates out the plasma and returns the rest, such as red blood cells, straight back to you.

Because only the plasma is taken, you can donate a larger amount in one session and donate more frequently - about every two weeks, compared with every 12 weeks for a standard blood donation.

Eligible donors are typically between 17 and 65 years old and in good general health.

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