October 19, 2021

Grifols and Egypt inaugurate first African plasma-supply platform, in Cairo, as part of the alliance to attain self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicines

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  • This is the first time the plasma industry has partnered with a government in a groundbreaking global public-private alliance to achieve plasma medicine self-sufficiency, a game-changing model that could lead to similar initiatives
  • A total of 20 donation centers, to be constructed and fully equipped in Egypt, together with manufacturing facilities, an academy, plasma logistics operations and a new plasma testing laboratory – all vertically integrated – will strengthen Egypt’s healthcare system
  • The agreement will not only attain self-sufficiency in Egypt but also enhance access to plasma products in the Middle East, Africa and other countries
  • To ensure a stable and sustainable plasma supply, Egypt has adapted local legislation to follow that of the U.S. FDA, which oversees the world’s largest and most experienced network of plasma collection centers

Barcelona, Spain, October 19, 2021 - Grifols (MCE:GRF, MCE:GRF.P, NASDAQ:GRFS), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines with a more than 110-year track record of contributing to the health and well-being of people around the world, and the National Service Projects Organization (NSPO) in Egypt today inaugurated the first integrated plasma-supply platform in Africa, the start of a robust plasma infrastructure that will bring self-sufficiency to Egypt while facilitating access to plasma products for the broader Middle East and African region, as well as other countries.

Innovative in its goals and scope, the alliance that Grifols and Egypt announced in November 2020 is the first ever that pairs a government entity and a private plasma manufacturer to tackle national self-sufficiency. This game-changing initiative could be a blueprint for comparable efforts with other countries to increase local access to plasma and plasma treatments.

Paving the way for this milestone in Egypt has been the rapid incorporation of legislation to meet international quality and safety standards. Local donation requirements are now aligned with those of the U.S. FDA, which oversees the world’s largest and most experienced network of plasma collection centers. Also guaranteeing excellence is Grifols’ proven reliance on vertically integrated operations, ensuring end-to-end control of the entire plasma procurement and manufacturing process, from donation to finished medicinal product.

Facilities in Egypt are expected to be authorized by local authorities as well as international regulatory agencies, such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and certified by the International Quality Plasma Program (IQPP) of the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA).

Grifols Egypt for Plasma Derivatives, the joint-venture company between Grifols and the NSPO, initially plans to construct and fully equip 20 donation centers throughout the country.

Officials from Grifols and the NSPO today were in Cairo’s Western Giza district to visit the first plasma collection center, housed in a modern two-story flagship complex named 6th of October. It will begin taking plasma donations in November. The platform of plasma-supply centers, located throughout the country and equipped with the most advanced technology, will have a combined future collection volume capacity of 1 million plasma liters annually.

This building also includes a testing laboratory for screening plasma and a training and educational area belonging to The Grifols Academy, the company’s premier ongoing employee professional education program.

The alliance will combine its expertise, technology and resources to construct production facilities for manufacturing hemoderivative medicines in the New Capital, including a plant to fractionate individual plasma proteins with a capacity to process 1 million plasma liters yearly that is expected to double. There will also be a protein purification plant and testing and warehousing operations.

“This first donation center is a tremendous first step toward plasma self-sufficiency for Egypt and will expand plasma access to the region,” said Víctor Grifols Deu, co-CEO of Grifols. “Our alliance with Egypt is a model that will significantly change the way plasma infrastructures are conceived, built and managed, enabling much greater availability of plasma medicines.”

“This is a proud moment for Egypt as it invests further in the health and well-being of Egyptians while establishing important plasma expertise and regional leadership in this critical field,” said Dr. Magdy Amin, CEO Grifols Egypt. “This partnership will enable Egypt to deliver higher levels of quality healthcare.”

Under the terms of the joint venture, NSPO owns 51% and Grifols the balance. Until Egypt’s plasma-production facilities are operational, Grifols will use its existing installations to produce medicines from the plasma collected in the country. Expected European inspections of the donor centers mean that the plasma could also be used in Europe.

About Grifols Egypt for Plasma Derivatives

Grifols Egypt for Plasma Derivatives is a joint-venture company between Egypt’s National Service Projects Organization and Grifols. The strategic partnership’s combined expertise, technology and resources seeks to strengthen Egypt’s healthcare system through achieving self-sufficiency in plasma-derived medicines while reinforcing Grifols’ international expansion in the Middle East and Africa.