Between 27 and 29 October, the Council of Europe - European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines (EDQM) held a three-day webinar entitled “Keeping up with Reality and Quality: A Challenge for European Blood Establishments”. The webinar was divided into six sessions covering different topics and issues in the field of blood - including the COVID-19 pandemic, which has put a strain on the blood supply and subsequently revealed the potential of convalescent plasma in treating COVID-19 patients.
The BTA was represented by the President, Nigel Talboys, in session III: “Globalisation of the supplier marketplace – state of play, opportunities and issues in the blood sector”, as well as in session IV “New regulatory environment for medical devices: state of play, opportunities and issues in the blood sector” by Pascale Van Hoydonck, who gave a presentation on the “Impact of Medical Devices (MD) EU regulations on suppliers and their relations with Blood Establishments”.
In his presentation titled “Business Continuinity to ensure blood supply: viewpoint of a supplier”, Mr Talboys stressed that the availability of critical medical devices could impact the continuity of blood supply. The priority of the supplier is to circumvent any supply interruptions by devising a global approach to business continuity. He also observed that the revision of the blood, tissues and cells legislation and REACH regulations, in addition to Brexit, would inevitably impact the medical device field. Furthermore, Ms Van Hoydonck noted in her representation that the Blood Transfusion Association still requires more guidance on classification from the Medical Devices Coordination Group.
The EDQM webinar served as a platform to address key points of contention from both a clinical and supplier’s perspective with regards to the continuous supply of blood products within blood establishments. The BTA will continue to participate in such events in order to make the voice of the blood sector heard in a collaborative approach.
Click here for the agenda for the event. You can also access here Mr Talboys' and here Ms Van Hoydonck's slides.
You can also find here