The BloodCenter of Wisconsin has announced it is collaborating with the New York Blood Center and Prophylix Pharma AS to develop a product that will prevent Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia.
Each year 10,000 babies in the United States and the European Union suffer from this potentially crippling and fatal bleeding disorder.
As a first step, the BloodCenter of Wisconsin and Prophylix Pharma, a Norwegian biotech company, will help identify blood plasma donors among women who have had babies affected by FNAIT.
The New York Blood Center will then collect the donor’s plasma that will be made into NAITgam, which will be given to at-risk pregnant women so they do not make antibodies against their babies’ platelets. This may prevent FNAIT in current and future pregnancies.
NAITgam is similar to Rh immune globulin that for almost 50 years has proven safe and effective in almost eliminating a related condition called Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn that is caused by mothers making antibodies against their babies’ red blood cells.
