CSL Plasma, a leading multinational company in Puerto Rico, is working tirelessly to collect plasma donations to treat millions of patients worldwide. According to Sandra Figueroa, Center Manager of the CSL Plasma clinic in Caguas, treating a single patient with an immunocompromised health condition requires 130 plasma donations per year, while patients with hemophilia need 1,200 plasma donations annually.
Established in 1998 in Boca Raton, Florida, CSL Plasma operates over 300 plasma collection centers in the United States, Europe, and China, with more than 15,000 employees worldwide. The company is part of CSL Behring, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in biotherapies for rare and serious diseases. Figueroa highlighted the importance of plasma donations in creating medications for various medical conditions, allowing people around the world to live relatively normal lives.
Despite its vital role in healthcare, plasma donation is a new industry in Puerto Rico, and CSL Plasma faces the challenge of educating and raising awareness among Puerto Ricans about the importance of plasma donation in creating life-saving medications.
CSL Plasma has planned to open six centers in Puerto Rico, with one already operational in Ponce and another set to open in Loíza soon. The company aims to create around 360 direct jobs through the launch of these centers, hiring health professionals, engineers, biotechnologists, chemists, accountants, managers, and customer service personnel.
Anyone interested in donating plasma can contact the center in Ponce or visit the website www.cslplasma.pr for more information. To be a plasma donor, individuals must be between 18 and 65 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more, have a valid ID, and be adequately hydrated. Plasma donation can take between 2 to 2.5 hours for the first donation and about 90 minutes for subsequent donations.