Assessing the current Demand of ImmunoGlobulins, the "DIG" study

Since the early 2000s, intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs), pooled from the plasma of several thousand individuals, has been a ‘driver’ in determining the demand for plasma for fractionation (PfF) based on medical needs. IVIG has become prominent for its efficacious ability to treat primary and secondary immune deficiencies and be an immunomodulatory agent for various other disorders. Uses for IVIGs have increased as it is used for both registered (on-label) treatment and non-registered (off-label) treatments. Consequentially, the global utilization of immunoglobulins (Ig) has increased dramatically over time. This growing demand leads to increasing costs and supply shortages, which are already occurring in the current system. Hence, there is great concern that IVIG shortage will continue into the future and impact medical treatment. This study aims to gain insight in decision-making on how IVIG is used within hospitals globally to create clinical awareness of the shortage of IVIG using a step-wise method of I) surveying hospital pharmacists and clinicians, followed by II) semi-structured interviews of representative hospital users.
In the first step, hospital pharmacists and clinicians will be surveyed separately through an initial brief, generalized survey, followed by a more in-depth survey to those who are willing to participate. In the second step, interviews will be done with specific clinical specialties who use Ig the most (e.g. Neurology, Haematology, Immunology) along with persons from different settings for a representative sampling.

Active

CTS

So-Osman