Newsroom Blood Transfusion
EDQM Stakeholder Event on Plasma Supply Continuity – Programme available
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just released the programme for the upcoming stakeholder event on plasma supply continuity. Dedicated to the goal of increasing and improving plasma supply in Europe, this event will take place on 26 and 27 March 2025...
26-27 March 2025
EDQM stakeholder event - Plasma Supply Continuity
SAVE THE DATE! Join us for an important stakeholder event on the theme “Plasma Supply Continuity”. Hosted by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), this in-person forum will take place in Strasbourg on 26 and 27 March 2025. This event will provide an update on...
Making a significant difference – 2023 EDQM annual report published in new engaging digital format
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe has published its 2023 annual report. For the first time, the report is completely digital, with a new, intuitive design and interactive features, facilitating your discovery journey and making it...
EDQM welcomes EU Parliament and Council’s political agreement on enhanced safety and quality for substances of human origin
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe welcomes the recent provisional agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (EU) on the draft regulation on blood, tissues and cells. This marks a pivotal...
2022 Highlights – EDQM annual report now available
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has published its 2022 annual report, providing a comprehensive overview of its activities and achievements, and putting select data on the present state of EDQM/Council of Europe public health initiatives at your...
EDQM publishes 21st edition of the Blood Guide, providing state-of-the-art guidance for healthcare professionals
The European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) has just published the 21st edition of the Guide to the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components (Blood Guide). The Blood Guide is a compendium of widely accepted, harmonised European technical standards...
The Council of Europe/EDQM and the European Union conclude an agreement expanding the scope of their co-operation in the field of substances of human origin
The Council of Europe/European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) and the European Union (EU), through the European Commission, have concluded a new contribution agreement, with equal financing, which will run until 2024. This agreement further enhances their already...
Draft legislative proposal for a new EU Regulation on Blood, Tissues and Cells
On 14 July 2022, the European Union (EU) Commission issued its draft legislative proposal for a new EU Regulation on Blood, Tissues and Cells (BTC), in which the EU Commission proposes to leverage on the technical standards and proven expertise of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and...
Tools to support contingency and emergency planning for blood systems
In emergency situations, it is vital to ensure a safe and adequate supply of blood for all essential transfusions. Join our Webinar to learn more! The Blood Supply Contingency and Emergency Plan (B-SCEP) Project was launched by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare...
Joint presentation of EDQM and DH-BIO about Council of Europe principles of voluntary non remunerated blood donation / prohibition of financial gain with respect to donation at Members of the European Parliament hosted event
Human plasma is the critical component of numerous therapeutic products used in the treatment of life-threatening diseases, including bleeding or immune system disorders and other severe pathologies. In recent years, the global use of and demand for plasma for fractionation have grown and it is a...
Registrations open! Brand new Quality Risk Management training for blood establishments
The supply of blood components involves a series of complex processes composed of numerous steps, each carrying intrinsic and extrinsic risks. Blood establishments must continuously adapt to new regulatory and technical requirements in quality management as part of their risk avoidance strategy....
The Council of Europe appoints future EDQM Director
The Council of Europe has appointed Petra Dörr, PhD, as future Director of the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM). She will take over the function from the current Director, Susanne Keitel, in October 2021. Petra Dörr comes to the EDQM with more than 25 years of...
June 14 is World Blood Donor Day! Give blood and keep the world beating
At every moment, someone, somewhere, needs blood.
Blood components – plasma, red cells and platelets – are routinely used to save patients’ lives during surgery, after an accident or during acute illnesses, such as cancer or haemophilia. Regular blood donations are needed to give...
“The collection, testing and use of blood and blood components in Europe”, 2016 report, now available for download from the EDQM
The European Committee on Blood Transfusion (CD-P-TS) has approved the publication of the 2016 edition of “The collection, testing and use of blood and blood components in Europe”. In total, 28 Council of Europe member states,[1] representing some 430 million inhabitants, reported annual data for...
EDQM and EC build on 10 years of co-operation to support a more sustainable blood supply and resilient blood sector
A conference celebrating 10 years of co-operation between the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) and the European Commission (EC) in the field of blood transfusion shed light on the challenges faced by blood establishments (BEs) in securing sustainable blood...
10 years of co-operation between the European Commission and the EDQM/Council of Europe in the field of blood: key achievements in standard setting
The European Commission (EC) and the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) of the Council of Europe began formally co-operating in the field of blood in 2010, and later extended the scope of this work to the area of tissues and cells. Their co-operation is...
10 years of collaboration between the European Commission and the EDQM in the field of blood
Blood transfusion is a life-saving measure: more than 25 million units of blood are transfused per year in Europe and nearly 1 400 blood establishments (BEs) are involved in the supply of blood in Europe on a daily basis. In the 1980s, the emergence of HIV/Aids brought new focus to the importance...
New dates and new format for the EDQM/Council of Europe and European Commission (EC) joint conference “Keeping up with Reality and Quality: A Challenge for European Blood Establishments”
In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the EDQM/Council of Europe and the European Commission (EC) have decided to modify the conference “Keeping up with Reality and Quality: A Challenge for European Blood Establishments” to a fully online format that will take place from Tuesday 27 to...
20th edition of the EDQM Blood Guide now available
The EDQM, Council of Europe, has just released the 20th edition of the Guide to the preparation, use and quality assurance of blood components (also known as the Blood Guide). Used in more than 90 countries, the Blood Guide is considered a gold standard in blood transfusion. It supports...
Recommendations to stakeholders on plasma supply management
The EDQM has published the recommendations resulting from the International Symposium on Plasma Supply Management organised in co-operation with the European Commission on 29 and 30 January 2019. In recent years, the global use of and demand for plasma for fractionation have grown and this trend...