Curb on Blood Products May Spark Trade Dispute

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Curb on Blood Products May Spark Trade Dispute

Financial Times (Great Britain) (10/18/93) P. 16 (Cookson, Clive)

A new trade dispute is forming as the European Community positions itself to restrict and eventually ban American imports of blood plasma and related products. Europe uses 11.1 million pints of plasma each year. Half of this product, worth about $650 million annually, comes from paid donors in the United States. In 1989, however, after several thousand Europeans were infected with the AIDS virus that contaminated blood products primarily from the United States, the European Community began working toward the goal of "self-sufficiency through voluntary unpaid donations." Little had been actually done to achieve this goal until this year, but now European nations, led by Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, are formulating measures to phase out imports. Advocates of self- sufficiency and voluntary donations contend that paid donors are more likely than volunteers to have sexually transmitted diseases and blood-borne viruses. Commercial manufacturers, however, counter that procedures for screening and eliminating infections are superior in America. "European self- sufficiency is a trade barrier and any attempt to stop $650m worth of US imports on 'safety' grounds is unjustified protectionism," declared Bob Reilly, executive director of the International Plasma Products Industry Association.

931018
AD931868

Copyright © 1993 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1993. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1993. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.