FORT LEE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KEDPLASMA LLC, one of the world’s leading collectors of high-quality human blood plasma, has added two additional plasma collection centers; one from ImmunoTek Bio Centers, LLC., located in Greenville, North Carolina, and another built for KEDPLASMA in Tucker, Georgia. The Centers are part of a KEDPLASMA five-year plan to bring the number of plasma collection centers that it owns and operates to a total of 30 by the year 2020 so that more patients may have access to the important therapies that, ultimately, are derived from the collected plasma. With the two newest additions, KEDPLASMA now owns and operates 13 plasma collection centers nationwide.
Grand opening for the new center in Tucker, Georgia is scheduled for November 6, with a ribbon-cutting and visits by local officials and dignitaries.
“By establishing our presence in a growing number of key U.S. geographies, KEDPLASMA is bringing needed new jobs to these areas,” said Helen Nasser, KEDPLASMA Managing Director. “More importantly, we are also helping to ensure that people who have certain rare and serious medical conditions have ongoing access to the plasma-derived therapies used in treating those conditions. As always, it is gratifying to welcome new personnel and plasma donors to the KEDPLASMA family and to be a part of improving life for others.”
KEDPLASMA LLC collects plasma for Kedrion Biopharma Inc., which is headquartered in Fort Lee, New Jersey and which is the U.S. subsidiary of Kedrion S.p.A. (Kedrion Biopharma) of Lucca, Italy. Kedrion Biopharma commercializes safe, effective, plasma-derived therapies that treat a range of rare and serious health conditions, including hemophilia, immunological and neurological conditions, and certain acute, life-threatening conditions requiring treatment in the critical care setting. In August 2017, Kedrion Biopharma Inc. and Kamada, Ltd., a collaboration partner, received FDA approval to market KEDRAB™ [rabies immune globulin (Human)] in the United States. With the approval of KEDRAB, Kedrion Biopharma expanded its portfolio of immune globulin products, which includes RhoGAM™ and GAMMAKED™.
KEDPLASMA is also one of the largest suppliers of high titer rabies plasma in the world. Its parent company, Kedrion Biopharma Inc., is a subsidiary of Kedrion S.p.A. (Kedrion Biopharma). All centers owned and operated by KEDPLASMA are licensed and regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are approved and monitored by the relevant European healthcare regulation authorities.
ImmunoTek Bio Centers, LLC CEO and President, Jerome Parnell III, said, “The transition of these assets to KEDPLASMA represents ImmunoTek’s ability to provide maximum flexibility to all of our customers as they seek to fulfill their strategic plasma supply needs. It also further enhances our relationship with Kedrion Biopharma, a strong partner in the global biopharma market.”
About KEDPLASMA and Kedrion Biopharma
KEDPLASMA LLC was established in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Kedrion Biopharma Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Kedrion S.p.A.. Kedrion Biopharma Inc. and KEDPLASMA LLC. are both headquartered in the United States. KEDPLASMA collects high quality human blood plasma, the vital raw material that allows Kedrion Biopharma to produce and distribute plasma-derived therapeutic products for use in treating and/or preventing serious diseases and conditions such as hemophilia, primary immune system deficiencies and Rh sensitization which can lead to hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn.
Headquartered in Tuscany, Italy, Kedrion Biopharma has a market presence in approximately 100 countries. It ranks fifth in terms of annual revenues in the global plasma derivatives market. Its largest and fastest growing market is the United States, with U.S. headquarters in Fort Lee, NJ. Italy is its next most important market, followed by Turkey, Mexico and Russia. In 2015, Kedrion Biopharma reached more than 570.3 million euros (more than $621 MM USD) in gross revenues. Nearly $275 million of that sum was generated in the U.S. The company employs over 2,240 people worldwide.
Kedrion Biopharma acts as a vital bridge connecting donors and patients. We operate on a global scale with the aim of expanding patients’ access to available treatments. Kedrion Biopharma places a high value on the welfare of those who benefit from its products and on the people and communities where it operates.
Following a vertically-integrated business model, Kedrion Biopharma manages the entire plasma cycle from supply and therapy production to distribution. In Italy, Kedrion Biopharma is a partner of the National Health Service and collaborates in pursuing self-sufficiency in the development and supply of plasma-derived medicinal products. The Company’s goal is to foster self-sufficiency in plasma-derived therapies worldwide and to bring healthier lives to people everywhere who suffer from rare disorders.
Kedrion Biopharma has six production plants: Three in Italy (a new plant in Castelvecchio Pascoli, now nearing completion, and one in Bolognana, both in the province of Lucca, and one in Sant’Antimo, Naples); one in Hungary (Gödöllő, Budapest); and one in the United States (Melville, NY). A facility in Siena, Tuscany, specializes in research and development of orphan drugs.
KEDPLASMA operates collection centers in the United States. Its sister companies in Europe operate centers in Germany and Hungary. All centers have been granted approval and licensure by European healthcare authorities and/or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are managed in strict compliance with all regulations. KEDPLASMA is also one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-titer rabies plasma. The center in Buffalo, New York, specializes in collecting hyper-immune Anti-D human plasma for the manufacture of an Anti-D immunoglobulin pharmaceutical product. State-of-the-art production facilities producing a wide range of products and an unwavering commitment to research and development are the key factors in Kedrion Biopharma’s success.
About ImmunoTek Bio Centers LLC
ImmunoTek BioCenters is an emerging bio-tech company committed to the safe collection and procurement of human blood plasma from the public. The management team has extensive experience in the blood, plasma, and biopharma industries. Through contracts and strategic agreements with pharmaceutical companies, IMMUNOTEK is fully capable of constructing, opening, FDA/EU licensing, and managing multiple plasma collection sites and plasma supply contracts in order to meet on going demand in the plasma proteins therapeutics market. Growth of current therapeutic drugs and vaccines as well as additional new therapeutic indications expected to put considerable strain on global blood plasma supply. IMMUNOTEK currently owns and operates plasma collection centers in the USA and has over 40 collection centers in development through 2020.
