Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is the evidence that plasma is effective?
Background information is given in the reference section of this site.
Why should I use Veterinary Immunogenics?
We have been supplying equine plasma products to satisfied customers for over 10 years. We operate under the strict regulations of the UK Veterinary Medicines Directorate, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and Home Office licenses. Our products are validated and proven to be of the highest quality, safe and efficaceous.
Ordering
and Shipping
How do I order?
Our preference, particularly for new customers, is that orders are made on our standard faxback form which ensures we record accurate information relating to the detail of each order both for our dispatch department as well as customer details being kept up to date thus ensuring continuing trouble free communications and prompt delivery.
Nevertheless, we are pleased to take orders by office telephone or email for existing customers.
How is Hypermune shipped?
Hypermune equine plasma is always stored frozen at –25°C wrapped in two layer bubble plastic to provide protection. The bags are placed in our insulated boxes and packed with polystyrene void filler along with the appropriate documentation.
We use shippers who guarantee next day delivery whenever possible throughout the UK and Europe, but each is selected for its particular efficiency in your area. For consignments outside the UK and Europe the shortest shipping time available is selected even if that means dispatching outwith normal working hours.
To avoid weekends and potential delays which may impinge on weekends we prefer to dispatch frozen plasma Monday to Thursday within the UK and Monday to Wednesday outwith the UK.
Costs are minimised when shipping out of the UK if your order is a minimum of 5 litres as air freight is costed on a dimensional weight basis. This is further reduced on a per litre basis as the number of litres in each consignment increases.
Will the plasma be frozen on arrival?
Validation studies using digital data loggers have confirmed that even a single litre retains a frozen core temperature at 24 hours in our packaging. Multiples up to 5 litres remain frozen up to 48 hours.
Can the plasma be refrozen?
If your plasma arrives partially or even completely thawed it will not have deteriorated and can be re-frozen. It is a sterile product and is more like “long life” milk there being no bacteria to exploit thawing conditions. Validated stability studies have been satisfactorily completed on thawed plasma stored at +4°C for 20 days.
It is not recommended, however, that bags which have been thawed and warmed to body temperature be re-frozen.
Storing
What is the frozen shelf life?
It has been proven that Hypermune can be stored frozen for in excess of two years from the date of production. The product is licensed for storage up to two years.
What conditions should be provided for trouble free storage?
Although our defined storage temperature is –25°C ±5 C° it is acceptable to store the frozen product in a domestic freezer at –18°C. It is also very important that the plasma is kept in its bubble wrap in a dedicated box, basket or other suitable container in you freezer to ensure it is not bumped or knocked inadvertently. In this way you will avoid damage occurring to the plastic of the plasma bag which can become brittle at low storage temperatures.
Using
What is the best way to thaw the plasma?
Instructions on thawing are provided here and on the package insert. Hypermune has a very high content of proteins which are easily denatured by excess heat. Rare accidental usage problems that we have investigated include causes such as a frozen litre being placed in the passenger side foot well of the car and the heater being turned on fully; a bag being left on the laboratory bench and the hot summer sun shining on to it; and a bag being allowed to float in a water bath under the stream of very hot tap water being added to the water bath.
How do I know when it is at blood heat?
The water bath should not exceed 40°C. Leave the bubble wrap on the bag and place it in the water. From time to time, as it cools, it can be topped up with warm water but do ensure the bag does not come into contact with hot tap water. After five minutes remove the bubble wrap and periodically pick up the bag and invert it a few times to try to mix the thawed plasma near the bag surface with the cold plasma at its centre. Once the bag is completely thawed it will have a “clammy” feel until it has acquired the temperature throughout of the water bath and is ready for tranfusing.
Is it essential to use a giving set?
It is absolutely essential to use a blood administration set which has a large mesh filter. This will trap any cryoprecipitate or fibrin strands and thus permit a smooth transfusion. Veterinary Immunogenics provides blood administration sets.
Is there likely to be a reaction from the foal?
Adverse reactions to plasma products are extremely rare but before using Hypermune it is very important to read the usage instructions provided here and in the package insert very carefully. Over ten years, Veterinary Immunogenics has produced thousands of litres of plasma but been asked investigate only two suspect adverse reactions. In both cases no fault could be found with the plasma used. It is accepted in human medicine that acute immunological reactions to peanuts and shell fish, for example, are more often than not due to idiosyncratic immune response rather than a defect in the causal agent.
Veterinary Immunogenics Ltd has much anecdotal evidence as well as data
from four field studies confirming the safety of Hypermune products even
when transfusions are repeated at short or relatively long intervals.