Albumin prepared from human plasma, a medicine given to patients recovering from major surgery and other emergency treatments, is now believed to be in short supply across the country.
What caused the shortage of albumin?
The main reason is the supply of blood decreased to a great extent, so the manufacturers don't have enough material to produce albumin. We know donated blood is only for clinical use and the manufacturers receive blood as a raw material from blood banks that pay people to make donations. For ensuring the quality of blood and fighting against illegal blood collection which can induce the spread of diseases, from last year the government strengthened the supervision to blood collecting station, and closed a number of blood collecting stations. So the supply of blood decreased sharply.
The secondary reason is the production progress and standards for the production of albumin is more strict. Earlier this year, food and drug officials in Jilin Province discovered that fake albumin was circulating in the market. The government strengthened the supervision on the production of albumin. The blood can't be used to procuduce albumin until it is ensured no virus in the blood through further check. The blood which passed the preliminary check need to be reserved for 90 days before receiving the result of further check.
Facing the shortage of albumin, the hospitals manage to decrease the use of albumin, and ensure the supply for the severe patients. Some hospitals try to purchase more imported albumin. Now the government is implementing relevant measures to change the situation.