UK's plasma for medicines programme
In 2023, Octapharma was selected to be the exclusive supplier of plasma to the National Health Service (NHS) in England after the government lifted a longstanding ban on the use of UK plasma.
Social Responsibility
People are at the heart of our business — donors, patients, customers, employees and local communities.
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Access to treatment
Providing broad and reliable access to high-quality treatments for people around the world is at the heart of our business. This involves ensuring our products are available and affordable while supporting early and accurate diagnosis of diseases.
Improving diagnosis
Early and accurate diagnosis enables patients to access the medicines they need while easing the impact of diseases on both individuals and healthcare systems. We collaborate with medical experts to support the early identification and management of conditions such as bleeding disorders, acquired coagulation disorders, autoimmune diseases and immunodeficiencies.
Our goal is to decrease delays between symptom onset and diagnosis by helping healthcare professionals identify people at risk of disease.
We support the improved diagnosis through research and development to identify biomarkers and diagnostic indicators for early and accurate detection, education and training to equip healthcare professionals with the latest diagnostic techniques, and awareness campaigns for healthcare professionals and the public to promote better understanding and reduce stigma about certain diseases.
Sharing knowledge with healthcare professionals
With Science Hub and OneSource, we provide online training and education platforms that provide engaging content relevant to clinical practice while meeting relevant regulations.
Science Hub is a collaborative platform for research and knowledge exchange, focusing on improving patient outcomes in immunotherapy, coagulation, and other areas. Science Hub has around 5,000 registered users, and more than 3,000 healthcare professionals have been trained via the platform.
OneSource is a digital platform with over 6,000 registered users that provides healthcare professionals in the field of haematology with resources, tools, and information on our therapies.
Raising awareness
Increasing awareness around haematology, immunotherapy and critical care conditions is crucial to ensure our products reach the patients who need them.
In Haematology, for example, we work to raise awareness about von Willebrand Disease (VWD) through VWDtest.com - a global online platform designed to improve the diagnosis of VWD – an inherited bleeding disorder that is often misunderstood and underdiagnosed.
Led by an international group of experts and supported by Octapharma, VWDtest.com provides patients, healthcare professionals and caregivers with educational content and patient stories to help them navigate the challenges of the VWD diagnostic journey. Patients can use a 5-minute self-assessment tool and a blood assessment chart to gauge their likelihood of having an underlying bleeding disorder. The results can be shared with healthcare professionals, paving the way for further evaluation and timely diagnosis.
Patients’ quality of life
Patients are at the core of our business, and we are committed to making a difference in their lives. Our efforts focus on the safety and efficacy of our products and the experience patients have with our treatments.
We help patients change their lives for the better
I'm proud of who I've become
Just before her 12th birthday, Magda's life took an unexpected turn. What began as a simple fever quickly led to a diagnosis of non-Hodgkin Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive cancer.
Plasma donation
Donated plasma is a critically important resource for plasma-derived therapies used to treat millions of patients worldwide. In an environment where every drop of plasma counts, we strive to ensure the health and safety of donors, the productivity of our plasma donation centres and the quality of the donor experience.
Facts and figures about plasma donation
Around 145,000 donors visit our US and German plasma donation centres each month.
8 million liters of plasma are collected annually at our plasma donation centres.
It takes 12 months from donating the plasma to patients receiving the medicine.
1,200 plasma donations are needed to treat a patient with haemophilia A for one year.
The health and safety of plasma donors are fundamental to our ability to provide life-saving plasma-derived medicines. We ensure the highest standards of donor health, safety and well-being by following specific and highly regulated processes from donation through to the manufacturing of our products.
Our plasma donors are ordinary lifesavers
One donation can save lives in various ways
“I would like to think of myself as a ‘lifesaver’,” says Mike, an Octapharma Plasma donor. “Hopefully my plasma has prolonged the lives of many.”
Employee experience
The success of our business relies on attracting and retaining talented people. This starts with providing high-quality, safe working conditions. It also means being an employer of choice by creating a diverse and inclusive culture that promotes employee well-being and enables people to fulfil their potential.
Our industry is highly regulated, with stringent quality and safety standards. Ensuring healthy and safe working conditions for our employees is critical to the success of our operations. We aim for a safe and accident-free workplace at all our locations. Our production sites have specific targets to prevent or reduce work-related accidents, injuries and damage to property or the environment.
Our employees are required to operate with high levels of innovation and quality. We seek to create positive working conditions in which innovation can thrive and employees feel supported to deliver their best for patients every day.
Investing in the training and development of our employees is critical to ensure we navigate industry changes and meet regulatory requirements. Through our training and development programmes, we aim to motivate our employees, boost productivity and create a skilled, adaptable workforce that will help us to grow over the long term.
We are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels they belong and can freely express themselves while respecting privacy and confidentiality. We want a workplace where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute to our collective success. We have zero tolerance towards any form of discrimination.
Local communities
We aspire to be a good corporate citizen with strong ties to the communities in which we operate. Our focus is on addressing any potential negative impacts such as increased traffic or noise, while supporting our reputation and positioning Octapharma as an employer of choice.
Supporting the local economy in Dessau
Octapharma Dessau is part of a cluster of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the municipality of Dessau-Rosslau, Saxony-Anhalt, in Germany. We employ around 300 people at our packaging and logistics centre in the region, and we partner with many local businesses and suppliers. We also build connections with healthcare institutions and patient groups in the region that could benefit from our products.
Providing humanitarian assistance in Türkiye
Octapharma made a substantial donation of our life-saving products to support people affected by the devastating earthquakes which struck southern and central Turkey and parts of northern Syria on February 6, 2023.
On February 9, 2023, the first truck loaded with human albumin® 20%, octaplex® and atenativ® left the Octapharma Logistics Centre in Dessau en route to Ankara, where it was distributed as needed by the Turkish Ministry of Health.
Supporting Heidelberg’s small businesses
In 2020, Octapharma’s Chairman and CEO, Wolfgang Marguerre, provided crucial financial support to small businesses in Heidelberg affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation of €1 million included €500,000 allocated to around 200 small, owner-managed businesses to cover urgent costs like rent and utilities. The City of Heidelberg managed the distribution of funds, ensuring direct aid to businesses in need. This generous contribution reflects Octapharma’s commitment to civic responsibility and community, responsible leadership, and long-term support where it matters most.
Octapharma Sweden: Giving blood, saving lives
Octapharma Sweden collaborates with GeBlod – the Swedish national blood donation service – hosting mobile blood donation drives on GeBlod’s “blood bus” at its production site in Stockholm. This initiative offers employees and local residents the opportunity to donate and support Sweden’s self-sufficient but donation-dependent blood supply, with Octapharma allowing employees to donate during working hours, reinforcing its commitment to saving lives.
Octapharma UK team drives charitable impact
At Octapharma’s UK sales office, giving back and staying active go hand in hand. In 2024, for every employee who joined the ‘Get Fit in 4 Weeks’ programme, we donated £50 to ‘Cash for Kids’, a charity supporting young people in need. Our team also raised funds for ‘Sands’, supporting families affected by the loss of a child. We’ve partnered with ‘Ecologi’ to reduce carbon footprints and support climate-positive projects such as reforestation. Additionally, we launched an internal campaign supporting the ‘Mental Health Foundation’ and ‘Mental Health Awareness Week’, providing resources and fostering mental health discussions. These efforts highlight our dedication to supporting both our community and the well-being of our employees.