Plasma in the NYTimes

[bronxmom2]

Here is an interesting article from today's NY Times about the ethics of plasma collection. I am not posting this to be alarmist. The good news, buried in this article, is that the plasma supply is going up. (It's because so many people are now poor enough to regularly sell plasma.)

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/06/business...amp;_r=1&hp

[mama2alex]

Thanks for posting this! Dr. Kobayashi, who was quoted in the aritcle, sat in on our appointment at UCLA and is a great guy. I believe he's treating a couple of PANDAS kids in Nebraska with IVIG (although I think he's technically treating them for immune deficiencies).

 

One point the article brought up that has been bothering me lately is the insurance companies:

 

"IVIG can cost tens of thousands of dollars a year per patient. Clotting proteins for hemophiliacs can cost $100,000 to $350,000 a year. And many of the uses of IVIG are not approved by the F.D.A.

 

Insurers are becoming more reluctant to pay for such treatments..."

 

It's fantastic that PANDAS is getting press and more and more kids are being diagnosed, but the research needs to catch up so that IVIG can be FDA approved for PANDAS asap. The more demand for IVIG for PANDAS, the more political it becomes. It would be much better to get it approved before there's a huge demand for it.

 

Anyone here know the process for getting a treatment FDA approved??

[ShaesMom]

Thanks for posting this. Dr. Kobayashi is our Immunologist. In addition to this article, I know he is working with someone on producing a documentary on Selective Antibody Deficiency. We have been asked if we would like to be a part of it but my daughter does not want to be on tv and I don't feel that she should be pushed into it.