Blood-plasma collection company that pays donors opens center in Irondequoit
Blood-plasma collection company Octapharma Plasma Inc. has opened a location at 689 East Ridge Road near Hudson Avenue in Irondequoit.
Plasma is the part of blood that carries antibodies, clotting factors and proteins through the body. Plasma donations are used by pharmaceutical companies to make drugs that treat cancer, hemophilia, autoimmune diseases, burns and other life-threatening conditions.
“Plasma is an invaluable gift our donors give to the thousands of patients who rely on plasma therapies for their health,” stated Alice Stewart, COO of Octapharma, which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We are excited to open the new donation center in Rochester.”
The Irondequoit location, which is right on the Rochester border, was expecting to employ around 50 workers.
People deemed eligible to donate plasma — a process similar to donating blood — are paid.
Octapharma does not list rates on its website, saying that the payment per donation is based on a number of factors, including the time involved.
However, across the industry, people can generally make up to $50 per donation, according to media reports.
Octapharma, which has more than 160 centers in 36 states, also says it offers bonuses to first-time donors.
In keeping with U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines, the company permits two plasma donations in a seven-day period with at least two days between donations.
The Irondequoit Octapharma is the company’s second center in New York state. The first opened in September 2022 in Amherst, Erie County.
The United States is one of five countries that allows companies to pay people for their plasma, and those donations meet two-thirds of the global demand, NPR reported.
The American Red Cross also collects plasma, but donors are not paid.
Reporter Marcia Greenwood covers general assignments. Send story tips to mgreenwo@rocheste.gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @MarciaGreenwood.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Octapharma Plasma: Paid donor center opens in Irondequoit NY
