Blood Money
In a comment on this post about apheresis donations, my good friend Kevin asks, "Do you get money for this or not? That's the only thing I need to know about it."Not at the Red Cross or other non-profit blood centers. But if you insist, then yes; there are for-profit "plasma centers" where you can get paid to donate plasma. (Technically, I don't think they can legally pay you for your plasma, so they skirt the law by paying you for your time.)
But by law, "paid plasma" can't be used to transfuse patients; it can only be used in manufacturing of drugs -- and even, apparently, cosmetics! (And that makes sense; if you need a transfusion, or an infusion of platelets or white blood cells, which would you rather have pumped into you: blood products from someone who donates out the goodness of their heart, or blood products from somebody who does it for money?) So the "plasma centers" are typically operated by for-profit pharmaceutical companies like ZLB Behring, which make lots of money converting the $20 plasma they buy from you into drugs -- whereas the blood and platelets and whatnot that you donate at the Red Cross actually helps people immediately and directly. (It has to help immediately; a platelet donation has a very short shelf-life, something like 5 days. So getting donors in frequently is a must.)
What? Oh, I'm sorry, Kevin. You were hoping for snark? Well, then. No, I don't get money for it. I get sex.
posted by MeanMrMustard @ 5:35 PM
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