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October 10th 2006 Octapharma - Platinum Sponsors of the HAA Scientific Meeting in Hobart
Octapharma are proud Platinum Sponsors of the HAA Annual Scientific Meeting which is being held in Hobart, Tasmania from 15 to 18 October 2006.
The conference venue is Hobart , the second oldest city in Australia, located in the South-East of the Australian continent on the island of Tasmania. Hobart is known for its colonial heritage and as the destination for the Sydney to Hobart ocean sailing race which is held each year at New Years. Hobart is also the primary departure and reprovision point for ships going to the Antarctic. The location and historical significance of the region will help to ensure the success of the HAA 2006 conference.
Australian and New Zealand clinicians are rapidly becoming aware of Octapharma as a leading global plasma company, able to provide a full range of high quality, life saving plasma products. It is an exciting time for the Australian plasma market as the Government is currently reviewing the monopoly fractionation arrangements in order to facilitate much needed improvement in this critical sector of healthcare. The resulting changes could lead to groundbreaking new products such as Octaplas® being accessible to Australian patients and being produced from Australian plasma. . Platinum Sponsorship: Key note Speaker: As a platinum sponsor Octapharma is supporting the attendance of HAA invited speaker, Professor Bjarte Solheim, who will speak on several topics. Professor Solheim is one of the pioneers of the Norwegian contract fractionation project, which since 1998 has provided Norway with high quality Octapharma plasma products. In 1993 the project organised the replacement of all fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) with solvent/detergent (SD) treated plasma (Octaplas®). Professor Solheim’s knowledge and experience is anticipated to be of high value to the Australian medical communityAustralian and New Zealand clinicians are rapidly becoming aware of Octapharma as a leading global plasma company, able to provide a full range of high quality, life saving plasma products. The ANZSBT Master Class Session: On Monday 16th October, Professors Bjarte Solheim and Albert Farrugia ( Australia ) will present on the “European experience in the management of TRALI” (Transfusion Related Acute Lung Injury). This topic will stimulate interest and awareness in S/D treated plasma as it has been shown that TRALI, a dangerous, under-recognized and potentially fatal consequence of FFP transfusion, can be prevented by substituting FFP with Octaplas®. Interest in this topic is very high. The session rapidly sold old in the pre-registration phase, leading organisers to increase the seating capacity for this session. Octapharma Speakers Dinner and Octaplas® Presentation: Octapharma will hold a dinner at the Henry Jones Art Hotel on the Monday 16th October immediately following the Master Class session. This will provide further opportunities for conference participants to meet the presenters and discuss important issues raised during the master class. Mr Marc Maltas (International Business Manager- Octapharma Switzerland) will present on Octaplas® and continue the discussion of S/D treated plasma and TRALI over dinner. A number of high profile doctors and Government officials are expected to attend the dinner presentations. ANZSBT Session on Self Sufficiency: During the highly anticipated, but contraversial session on self-sufficiency, Professor Solheim will discuss the almost 20 year partnership that Norway has established with Octapharma for plasma fractionation. Professor Solheim’s extensive experience should be of interest to Australia, which under the terms of its Free trade Agreement with the US, is seeking to move to a competitive tender fractionation model. Solheim, who is a member of the Council of Europe Committee on Quality Assurance in Blood Transfusion Services, says "International competition would make plasma products cheaper and give Australia a more reliable supply without necessarily jeopardising safety and quality". "As long as they get the products for a more affordable price, and there is some control over quality, everybody is happy," continues Solheim. Not everybody agrees, Ahead of the conference, questions have been raised about the inclusion of this topic on the scientific agenda. When questioned, about this, conference co-convenor Ken Davis, President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion, says delegates will hear from a range of speakers on a large number of topics, including the contentious issue of off-shore fractionation. "We're just trying to stimulate a debate on the issue," he says, noting that the convenors chose Solheim from an Octapharma shortlist and approved his speaking points. Such is the interest in the future of Australia’s plasma fractionation that Commonwealth Health Minister, Mr Tony Abbott has invited Solheim to met with him following his speaking commitments at the conference. More information on the HAA conference web site can be obtained by clicking here (Please note that clicking on this link will take you outside of the Octapharma web site) © Octapharma AG, 2006 |
