LOS ANGELES, May 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Grifols, a Spanish biopharmaceutical company with US headquarters in Los Angeles, California, today announced the recent acquisition of eight preexisting plasma collection centers in the US. This acquisition comes on the heels of acquiring Plasma Care, Inc., which significantly increased the number of Grifols owned plasma collection centers. With this more recent addition, Grifols is now one of the largest plasma collectors in the world. The total number of Grifols owned plasma collection centers now stands at seventy-two.
"This recent acquisition demonstrates our commitment to being a world leader in the production of life-saving plasma therapies for the foreseeable future," said Victor Grifols, CEO of the Company. "Our growth strategy is focused on securing a stable supply of plasma and increasing our throughput in order to meet the needs of this expanding market for years to come," Grifols said. The company produces life-saving plasma therapies at its production facilities in Barcelona, Spain and Los Angeles, California.
Grifols' plasma centers are operated under a wholly owned subsidiary named Biomat USA. "Assuring consistency in the quality and safety of all Biomat USA plasma is our number one priority," said Shinji Wada, President of Biomat USA. The company is in the process of integrating the new plasma centers into the high quality standards and procedures already in place for the existing operations. "With our highly skilled and experienced employees, we expect the integration process to move smoothly and swiftly," Wada said. As a result of this and other plasma center acquisitions, Grifols has almost doubled its plasma collection capacity this year.
Human plasma is used to produce a number of life saving therapies that treat inherited rare diseases such as hemophilia, primary immune deficiencies, genetic emphysema, as well as shock, trauma, and burns. Unlike traditional small molecule pharmaceuticals, the production of plasma therapies begins with the donation of human plasma which is then processed to extract specific therapeutic proteins. The entire process from donation to product can take between 7 to 9 months. Maintaining an adequate and readily available supply of plasma is essential to assuring continuous production of much needed life- saving therapies. Grifols is a major provider of plasma therapies to critically ill patients in more than 90 countries around the world.
About Grifols
The Grifols family has been present in healthcare since 1940, creating innovative products and services based on the values of ethics and responsibility. Our activities focus on fulfilling the needs of healthcare professionals working in therapeutics, pharmacy, diagnostics and blood banking. For more than 60 years, Grifols companies have developed, manufactured and marketed products designed to improve human health. We manufacture products of proven efficacy, quality and safety. More information about Grifols can be found at http://www.grifolsusa.com.
Grifols, Inc.CONTACT: Chris Healey of Grifols, Inc., phone: +1-703-351-5004, fax:+1-703-276-9052, chris.healey@us.grifols.com
