Rika Plasma Donation System reaches critical milestone with plasma collection from first donor

Rika Plasma Donation System reaches critical milestone with plasma collection from first donor

Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies’ new Rika system represents a new era in plasma collections

Lakewood, Colorado, US, August 4, 2022 – Today, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, a medical technology company, announces that its new Rika Plasma Donation System successfully completed the first plasma donation in a plasma collection center in Aurora, Colo., operated by CSL Plasma, a global leader in plasma collection.

Rika, currently in limited market release, represents a new era in plasma collections. The system, cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2022, is designed to optimize plasma collections to help patients affected by life-threatening illnesses. The Rika Plasma Donation System is designed to improve the donor experience.

CSL Plasma's decision to work with Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies is in line with its business goals to improve its donor and employee experiences through innovation. Entering the source plasma market is a natural extension of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies’ experience and global leadership in apheresis technology.

“We designed the Rika ecosystem, including the software and services, in response to the industry's need for technological advancement and process improvements to drive efficiency and quality while maintaining donor safety and a sufficient plasma supply,” says Cynthia Hougum, General Manager, Plasma Innovations, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies. “We are thrilled that the first plasma collection was completed. It’s gratifying to hear positive feedback on the experience from the first donor. This is an important milestone as the phased rollout across CSL Plasma Centers continues in the coming months.”

The proprietary design of the Rika Plasma Donation System's centrifuge maximizes the plasma yield per cycle, which enables an average collection time of 35 minutes or less. Rika ensures there is never more than 200 milliliters of blood outside the donor's body at one time.

CSL Plasma is first implementing Rika at its Colorado centers and then expanding to other U.S. locations.