Properties of Pathogen-Inactivated Plasma Components

There are now 4 licensed technologies available for the pathogen inactivation of fresh frozen plasma in Europe. None of these are currently available in the United States, whereas in other geographic regions some are licensed others are not. This review addresses the different technologies available for the pathogen inactivation of plasma, their impact on the potency of the product, their efficacy in addressing microbiological contamination, as well as summarizing potential immunologic and toxicologic concerns. Published evidence of clinical efficacy is also reviewed as are various approaches to determining cost-effectiveness. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.