Dear Mark

Please could you confirm what your OIA request is for? I'm not sure if these is something missing from the email?

Kind regards

Vanessa Siddins
Executive Assistant to CEO & Director of Finance - New Zealand Blood Service
t: 09 523 7563   m: 021 181 9060
71 Great South Road, Epsom, Private Bag 92-071, Auckland 1142

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www.nzblood.co.nz

________________________________________
From: A Mark <[FOI #12210 email]>
Sent: Wednesday, March 11, 2020 8:16 PM
To: Donors NAT
Subject: Re: Official Information request - International sale and supply of blood and blood products

Dear New Zealand Blood Service,

I would appreciate a response to this request.

Yours faithfully,

A Mark

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Kia ora

 

Please find below our response to your Official Information Act request
dated 11 February 2020. Apologies for the delay, your first email was sent
to the wrong department in error.

 

Question

Does New Zealand now, or has it ever, sold blood, blood products or any
blood-derived element overseas? If so, what is the total amount made from
these sale(s) and where did these funds end up?

 

Response

Yes, NZBS discloses in its annual audited financial statements total
revenue from overseas sales.  In the financial year ending 30 June 2019
overseas sales were $1,260,274 overall as shown in the below table, of
which $1,251,150 relates to sale of products and services (“exchange
revenue”).  The majority of the $1,251,150 relates to the sale of surplus
Albumin and expired red cells.  All sales proceeds come to NZBS and are
used in funding operational costs of the blood service.

 

Note NZBS collects source plasma and contracts a third party to
manufacture that source plasma, via a complex series of processes known as
fractionation to produce a range of derived fractionation products for use
within the New Zealand health sector. 

Albumin is a protein within the source plasma and is used to manufacture
products called Albumex.  Any surplus Albumin protein not required by NZBS
to meet the production requirements of Albumex products is sold to the
manufacturer as a by-product of manufacturing the source plasma.

 

In terms of expired red cells these are sold to an Australian laboratory
which uses them to manufacture reagents used in blood testing platforms. 
Red cells which are derived from whole blood collections have a shelf life
of 35 days. NZBS must maintain stock levels to meet the needs to the New
Zealand public and inevitably some red cells time expire and cannot be
used in transfusion.

Revenue from overseas sales and other revenue for the year ended 30 June
2019

Revenue from 1,251,150 1,099,341
overseas sales
– exchange
revenue        
Revenue from 9,124 15,423
overseas sales
– non-exchange
revenue
Total revenue
from overseas 1,260,274 1,114,764
sales
The non-exchange revenue from
overseas sales relates to
sponsorship of conferences by
overseas domiciled suppliers

 

Question

Does New Zealand now, or has it ever, bought blood, blood products or any
blood-derived element from overseas?

 

Response

Yes, NZBS buys in low volumes of specialist fractionated products not able
to be manufactured from available New Zealand plasma, imported under
section 29 of the Medicines Act.

In addition to these imports NZBS under its New Zealand Plasma Strategy
operates to a hybrid self-reliance model wherein NZBS maintains an 88%
domestic source plasma fractionated product and 12% imported second line
immunoglobulin (Ig) product. The use of a second line Ig product provides
an alternative product for patients in the event of an adverse reaction to
the New Zealand product. As well, importing a small volume of Ig product
ensures a measure of surety of supply, in time of need, for New Zealand’s
access to the global Ig supply chain.

 

 

Nga mihi nui

 

Vanessa Siddins

Executive Assistant to CEO & Director of Finance

New Zealand Blood Service

t: 09 523 7563     m: 021 181 9060

 

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