Beriplex® is on its way

As part of Australia’s transition to new domestic fractionated plasma products, the current Australian three-factor prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) Prothrombinex®-VF, is being replaced by a new four-factor PCC product Beriplex® AU in late 2024/early 2025.

The transition is being managed in two stages - as supplies of Prothrombinex®-VF are expected to be exhausted in late July 2024 before Beriplex® AU will be available. To ensure continuation of supply, a temporary replacement product Beriplex® P/N will be supplied, which approved health providers (AHPs) should be able to order from mid-June 2024 until Beriplex® AU is introduced.

Lifeblood has sent out communications to AHPs regarding Beriplex® P/N and Beriplex® AU, and more information regarding the domestic plasma product transition and details about the new products is also available from both the National Blood Authority website and CSL Behring’s Resource Hub for Health Professionals.

New warfarin reversal guidelines to reflect the change from three-factor to four-factor PCC are being prepared by the Thrombosis and Haemostasis Society of Australia and New Zealand (THANZ). Lifeblood's health professional resources, including our site and the extremely popular lanyard card, will be updated once these guidelines have been released.

Help us improve - share your feedback on the transfusion community

Our next transfusion practitioner community session for participants who’ve engaged in our microcredentials is on Wednesday 5 June at 11.30 am AEDT.​​

The focus for discussion will be on the transfusion practitioner’s role in supporting their health service with new or changing blood products - followed up by a facilitated Q&A.

The session will be presented by Lisa Stevenson, Transfusion Nurse from Barwon Health and St John of God, Victoria.

We'd love your feedback on these sessions and would appreciate if you'd take this short survey to help us add further value.

Have you heard we're supporting training for registrars from all specialty colleges?

Lifeblood’s Clinical transfusion program facilitated by Dr Lisa Clarke, Haematologist and Transfusion Medicine Specialist, is open to registrars from all specialty colleges and delivers a comprehensive program to ensure safe and appropriate transfusion practices.  

Recorded 1-hour sessions offer unparalleled access to a national team of multidisciplinary specialists in this field.  

Sessions will be released at 12.00 pm AEST on the scheduled dates and will be available for 12 months on Transfusion Online Learning.

Topics trending at Lifeblood

Frequency of ABO RhD Blood Groups in Australian Blood Donors as a Result of the Removal of the Variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease-Based Deferral 

On 25 July 2022, Australian Red Cross Lifeblood removed the donation deferral for people who lived in the United Kingdom (UK) for six months or more between 1980 and 1996 during the human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) outbreak. Hirani and colleagues sought to determine whether the removal of this deferral affected the availability of RhD-negative blood groups within the Australian blood donor panel. Data from the National Blood Management System (UK donor status, first-time donor, and ABO RhD data) was analysed on all donors who donated at least once between 25 July 2022 to 25 July 2023.  

World Blood Donor Day

This year marks the 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on 14 June with the global campaign - “20 years of celebrating giving: Thank you, blood donors!” It commemorates the milestone of the 20th anniversary and the profound impact of blood donation on the lives of patients and donors.  

Our Lifeblood Donor and Product Safety team contribute to this impact by continued surveillance of donor adverse events, conducting research, and reviewing policy and guidelines to continually improve donor safety. This occurs internally and collaboratively with external organisations.  

Upcoming webinar