February 21, 2024

Grifols Egypt is accelerating self-sufficency thanks to strong collection momentum

Download PDF
  • Growing plasma collections expected to double in 2024 thanks to rising donor turnout; Grifols Egypt collecting enough plasma to meet Egypt’s immunoglobulin needs for the first time
  • The very first integrated platform in Africa for sourcing and producing plasma medicines for the wider region has already dispatched more than 30,000 vials of essential therapies to hospitals
  • Grifols Egypt about to open its 10th donor center out of the 20 planned. When the network and new manufacturing site are completed, the current workforce will reach 2,000 highly qualifed jobs, triple the current staff
  • This innovative public-private plasma initiative, alongside a similar program in Canada, is part of Grifols’ growth strategy to meet the climbing global demand for plasma therapeutics

Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 21, 2024 Grifols (MCE:GRF, MCE:GRF.P, NASDAQ:GRFS), a global healthcare company and leading manufacturer of plasma-derived medicines, has announced that its first-of-its kind integrated platform for sourcing and producing plasma medicines in Africa is moving energetically towards local self-sufficiency in these vital therapies.

Grifols Egypt, which expects to double plasma collections in 2024, is already receiving enough donations to meet Egypt’s current domestic need for immunoglobulins (Ig).

This is a key milestone in the country’s plan to reach strategic autonomy in plasma treatments. Grifols Egypt is providing increasing quantities of plasma medicines such as immunoglobulins, albumin and coagulation factors. To date more than 30,000 vials of these hemoderivatives have been delivered to Egyptian hospitals and the patients who depend on them.

Roughly two years after starting to take its first donations, Grifols Egypt is about to open its 10th center, halfway to the 20 planned locations. A total of eight centers have been certified by the Plasma Protein Therapeutic Association’s International Quality Plasma Program – including four that just received this distinction – which confirms best practices through third-party audits. All will eventually have the validation.

Meantime, a new 105,000 square-meter state-of-the-art manufacturing site is taking shape in the New Administrative Capital’s Medical City, featuring fractionation and purification plants, logistics facilities and what will be Grifols’ very first plasma analysis lab globally to be fully automated. At peak performance, Grifols Egypt will analyze more than 1 million plasma samples annually.

Grifols Egypt’s current highly qualified workforce of more than 650 direct employees is expected to more than triple to 2,000 when all 20 donor centers are up and running and the production site is fully operational. The number of specialized training hours employees have received to date, 145,000, will also shoot up significantly.

Since Grifols and Egypt’s National Service Projects Organization signed their historic agreement in 2020 to establish Grifols Egypt and the first integrated platform for sourcing and producing plasma medicines in Africa and the Middle East, the project has advanced steadily, even during the pandemic.

The overall initiative forms part of Grifols’ Global Plasma Self-sufficiency Program, a commitment to innovative public-private alliances to ensure sustainable, long-term supplies of plasma-derived medicines. This includes everything necessary to collect, test and safely store plasma before manufacturing it into trusted therapeutics.

Grifols also has a long-term agreement in place with Canadian Blood Services, Canada’s national blood authority, to greatly increase the country’s self-sufficiency in Ig medicines through an all-Canadian donation and manufacturing capability.

“Grifols is extremely pleased to reach self-sufficiency in critical immunoglobulin medicines for Egypt, the first step toward achieving complete strategic autonomy across the broader class of plasma therapeutics,” said Raimon Grifols, Grifols Chief Corporate Officer. “Grifols is establishing paradigm-changing agreements around the world that support countries and regions in their efforts to ensure their domestic populations have the plasma treatments they absolutely depend on.”

“Grifols Egypt is fundamentally critical to this country’s strong commitment to achieving clear plasma and healthcare leadership in Egypt, and the broader geography,” said Magdy Amin, CEO Grifols Egypt. “We are an integral part of a healthier Egypt.”

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.