Author Topic: Blood Plasma  (Read 34230 times)

chaboydatdude

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Blood Plasma
« on: September 23, 2013, 05:50:02 PM »
Has anyone sold blood plasma?

-How much did you make?
-Anything I should know before I go?
-Octapharma is my local donation center, experiences?
-Worth it?
-Any stigma/ sketchy people?

Nudelkopf

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2013, 05:58:08 PM »
I have regularly donated blood, here in Australia. The thought of selling blood is like selling an organ - it sounds very sketchy & illegal.

Given that one in three people will need blood in their lifetime, I'd advise you to donate your blood/plasma, not sell it.


Edit to add: The WHO is aiming for 100% unpaid, voluntary blood donation http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2006/pr33/en/index.html
« Last Edit: September 23, 2013, 06:01:22 PM by Nudelkopf »

olivia

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2013, 06:18:32 PM »
I sold plasma in college occasionally, my friends and I would all bike to the place together and do it together.  At the time you got $50/session IIRC.  Or it could have been $50 for 2 sessions.  If you're not squeamish and you have some free time I'd try it.  As a broke college kid I liked it.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2013, 06:41:56 PM »
I've had several professors in my science classes tell students they should not sell their plasma. There are several adverse reactions that can happen and they said they are WAY underpaid for the plasma.

If you really want to help people, become a blood or plasma donor for the Red Cross. They take special care of you and treat you well. You can know that the blood you donate goes to patients that need it.

Things to watch out for are dehydration (you lose 1/2 gal of water), anemia, low calcium levels, and lowered antibodies. If you noticed feeling drained, or that you can't kick the bugs and viruses you run into, I would stop doing it. Other things such as hematomas and bruising are regularly reported. In between donations, you are supposed to eat a high-protein diet. Since this is something commonly done by students, and a lot of students live off mac n cheese and rice, I wonder if they would really go buy a steak so they could donate again.

As to why they were underpaid, the professor was speaking in terms of value. Think of it as gold. If you had gold in your veins, you are getting paid $23/oz, then the plasma center is reselling your blood to XYZ pharmaceutical/research company for $1600/oz. An article written in 2008, said that while oil is worth $100/barrel, a barrel of blood is worth about $20,000, and if it was processed is can be worth $60,000. Another article states this:

"For profit donation centers will pay $8.00 -$20.00 dollars for the first donation and then to encourage the donor to come back, will pay a higher price for the second donation within the seven day period.

Depending on the weight of the individual, the donation center will take 690mL to 880mL per donation. The 880mL bottles bring a price of anywhere from $300.00 to $1,700.00 when sold to the Pharmaceutical companies. If there is anything wrong with the plasma, if it's hemolysised (infused with red blood cells) or if the plasma is lipemic (excess fat within the plasma) the plasma is sold to veterinarian companies and bring a lesser price for the donation center.

Plasma donation was worth approximately 4.5 billion dollars in 2007. Today there are approximately 1.5 to 2 million donors worldwide and is expected to grow significantly in the struggling economy of 2009."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2464870

From what I understand, paid donations cannot be used "to save a life" like whole donated blood can. But they can be purchased by pharmaceutical companies to make drugs that indeed save lives. The cost of those drugs for the patient (and their insurance company) ranges from $20k to $50k/year. Other uses that I know of are in research and in making veterinarian meds. I understand that the Red Cross sells some of it's blood and blood products to pay for its operating costs. I guess I'd rather the money go to the Red Cross than a for-profit plasma center.

secondcor521

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2013, 07:14:03 PM »
I've done whole blood and platelet donations to the American Red Cross for many years.  I sold my plasma to the local plasma donor center one year when I was on deferral from the ARC for a possible exposure to malaria.

They will pay you, and they pay in cash.  If you are a larger person, they will take more (plasma) and pay more (cash).  If you donate more frequently within a certain timeframe (per week or per month), you'll get paid more.

They'll do a physical first to see if you're healthy enough to donate.  In my case, that included both urine and blood samples IIRC.  The physical is not paid.

They're very persnickety about the rules.  Once you check in, you can't leave the building was one I remember.

Yes, there are sketchy people there who might be drug addicts and/or poor.  However, they're still people and I never had any problems of any kind.

If I remember correctly I got paid about $20 per donation, which lasted about 1-2 hours total (driving there, waiting in the waiting room, doing the physical, checking in, donating the plasma, checking out and getting paid, driving home).  Some of that time you can surf the web or read.  And you can't do it too frequently (more than 2x/week, maybe?).  And they poke your arm with a needle and take some of your bodily fluid.  So it's like a slightly unpleasant job that you might make $10/hour on.

(The local place I went to was professional and obviously used new needles on each person, but if there were any sketchiness at all about the place I would run the other way.  I'm fine with a bruise on my arm, but I'm not interested in blood-borne diseases.)

jawisco

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2013, 08:31:40 PM »
I donated plasma for over a year in my early 20s.  I would skip it and find something else to do for a little pocket cash. 

I realized when I stopped doing it that I had more energy and felt better all around.  I don't think it is good for your body.

Left

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2013, 10:27:59 AM »
I'm ethically against selling plasma, it doesn't go into the transfusion pool that goes to help community. The people that pay for it are buying it for research/pharm companies. If they didn't have the ability to buy it from people like they do, they have the money to buy it from the local blood banks which would help them and community they service more, A lot is wasted since it outdates, but still good for research purposes so they could buy those units.

That said, There should be a better way to make $50/week that's more involved than sitting in a chair for a hour.
« Last Edit: September 24, 2013, 10:30:11 AM by eyem »

Spork

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #7 on: September 24, 2013, 11:14:18 AM »

Just a heads up:  If you have a skeezy feeling that you're against selling plasma because the people are selling it for big dollars to research companies... and you think it's ok to do voluntary donations...

The voluntary donation places ALSO sell it for big dollars to research companies (among other companies... there are a boatload of people that buy surplus plasma.)   And I mean TRUCKLOADS of it get sold by the voluntary companies.

That doesn't make them bad...  they're just funding what they do.  But don't let that part of it ick you out.  They all do it.

Source: worked in a voluntary donation blood bank for about 5 years.

StarryC

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #8 on: September 24, 2013, 11:21:16 AM »
Here is a link to a Pulitzer prize winning expose on the sale of blood: http://www.bloodbook.com/part-1.html (Which looks like a page made in 1999 by a 16 year old).   Donate, sell, do what you want.  When you donate, someone is making a profit on your blood.

anotherAlias

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2013, 11:42:26 AM »
My boyfriend does this and depending on the promotion they have going on each month, he makes about $240/mo.  According to him and what I've seen walking past the place, they have a pretty wide variety in donors.  Some are kind of shady looking, others are regular folks or college students.

CommonCents

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #10 on: September 24, 2013, 12:56:57 PM »
It's illegal in my state to sell your blood.  Might want to check it out for your location before you get too far along.

I've donated blood, but never plasma.  I've contemplated it, because I was particularly asked for not having some antibody, such that kids with cancer really need my type of blood, but I never did it.  If I could confirm I still didn't have it (something high like 80% of adults have gotten it), I probably would go.

Simple Abundant Living

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #11 on: September 24, 2013, 02:02:03 PM »

Just a heads up:  If you have a skeezy feeling that you're against selling plasma because the people are selling it for big dollars to research companies... and you think it's ok to do voluntary donations...

The voluntary donation places ALSO sell it for big dollars to research companies (among other companies... there are a boatload of people that buy surplus plasma.)   And I mean TRUCKLOADS of it get sold by the voluntary companies.

That doesn't make them bad...  they're just funding what they do.  But don't let that part of it ick you out.  They all do it.

Source: worked in a voluntary donation blood bank for about 5 years.

And I'm ok with that.  They are not for profit, and if they can cover their costs selling some, great.

Spork

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Re: Blood Plasma
« Reply #12 on: September 24, 2013, 02:22:09 PM »

Just a heads up:  If you have a skeezy feeling that you're against selling plasma because the people are selling it for big dollars to research companies... and you think it's ok to do voluntary donations...

The voluntary donation places ALSO sell it for big dollars to research companies (among other companies... there are a boatload of people that buy surplus plasma.)   And I mean TRUCKLOADS of it get sold by the voluntary companies.

That doesn't make them bad...  they're just funding what they do.  But don't let that part of it ick you out.  They all do it.

Source: worked in a voluntary donation blood bank for about 5 years.

And I'm ok with that.  They are not for profit, and if they can cover their costs selling some, great.

I'd actually be okay with it if they were for profit.  "Not for profit" is really just code words for a tax shelter.  You shouldn't read much into that ever.   It just means they have to fold the profit back into the business.    The blood bank was a cool place to work as a young kid... they paid well and had good benefits.