Originally part of the world famous Lister Institute, BPL has developed from a small-scale producer of dried plasma fractions (10 litres per batch) to a company now processing in excess of 650 tonnes of plasma per year.
1950
MRC establishes Blood Products Laboratory as part of the
Lister Institute at Elstree
1972
Manufacturing processes developed for:
Coagulation Factors
Albumin
A range of IM Immunoglobulins
1987
£60m new manufacturing facility, designed to provide
self-sufficiency of plasma products for England and Wales
1991
Blood Products Laboratory becomes Bio Products Laboratory
(BPL) reflecting its role as national fractionator with full product
licensing. NHS reforms to introduce charging mechanisms
to NHS customers
1993
Formation of the National Blood Authority (NBA), unifying BPL,
the International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL)
and Regional Transfusion Centres. NBA responsible to UK
Department of Health (DH)
1998
BPL sources plasma from US due to concerns over theoretical
risk of vCJD transmission
1999
All products supplied by BPL derived from US-sourced plasma
2002
The DH acquires large US plasma collector (Life Resources Inc)
to guarantee plasma supply for BPL
2004
BPL celebrates 50 years supplying healthcare professionals
2005
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) established as a Special
Health Authority.
Its remit is to provide reliable, efficient supply of blood, organs and
associated services to NHS. BPL becomes an operating division
of NHSBT
2009
BPL's IVIG licensed in the US
2010
BPL honoured with prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2010.
2011
BPL transfers from the NHSBT to ownership by the Department of Health (DoH), becoming Bio Products Laboratory Ltd.
