When will all fresh blood components be tested by HBV NAT?
From early September 2010, all red cells and platelets that we supply will have been tested for HBV DNA using the NAT triplex assay. As frozen clinical plasma (ie, fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate and cryodepleted plasma) have a longer shelf-life, management of these components during the transition period will be more complex. However, we aim to be able to supply only HBV NAT tested clinical plasma components from early September 2010 and are implementing a number of strategies to facilitate this. We advise Approved Health Providers (AHPs) to review their current inventory holdings of clinical plasma components, as well as your inventory management practices, to enable a more rapid turnover of product during the transition period. It is recommended that AHPs hold a maximum of 2 months’ supply of clinical plasma in the lead-up to the commencement of HBV NAT testing. It should be noted that our inventory holdings of clinical plasma will be increased during this period to compensate
