Fernanda Aspilche, President, and Heinz Stutzenberger, Vice-President of the Alpha-1 Europe Alliance, attended the International Plasma Protein Congress (IPPC 2025), held in Warsaw, Poland, from 20–21 May.
This leading annual meeting of the plasma sector brought together 300 participants, including industry leaders, policymakers, healthcare professionals, patient advocates from around the world — and even a plasma donor. The Alliance took part in the Congress as an organization for the first time since its creation in 2023.
During the meeting, Fernanda participated as a speaker on the panel titled “Patient-driven progress: advancing plasma-derived medicine and addressing disparities.” She shared the journey of our young yet active organization and the impactful work we’ve done over the past year to raise awareness, connect the Alpha-1 community, and drive systemic change.
“One of our key objectives is building strong relationships with stakeholders to make Alpha-1 a priority across Europe. Our approach is rooted in collaboration, knowledge, and collective action. Together, we can go much further.”
The panel was expertly moderated by Dr. Sarah-Taïssir Bencharif and included inspiring contributions from Martine Pergent, Nancy Di Salvo, and Nathan Schaefer.
For his part, Heinz Stutzenberger also attended in person and actively engaged with key representatives from nearly all international patient organizations that rely on plasma-derived medicinal products (PDMPs) — all of whom were present. He took the opportunity to connect with each of them, reinforcing the Alliance’s commitment to collaboration.
Among them:
🔹 Martine Pergent and Leire Solis Garate from IPOPI – International Patient Organisation for Primary Immunodeficiencies, whose unwavering commitment to advocacy and policy continues to inspire.
🔹 Nancy Di Salvo, International Affairs Director at GBS/CIDP International Foundation, who has been actively advocating with EU regulators on the recently adopted SoHO (Substances of Human Origin) Regulation.
🔹 Jean-Philippe Plançon, President of EPODIN, the organization for patients with Dysimmune and Inflammatory Neuropathies. As both a patient and advocate, he works to strengthen the patient voice and ensure that every European citizen living with a rare immune-mediated peripheral neuropathy has the opportunity to reduce the burden and inequities caused by the disease.
🔹 Nathan Schaefer, Public Policy & Access lead at the World Federation of Hemophilia, who is committed to improving the lives of people with bleeding disorders and their families.
“Connecting with other patient advocate organizations was incredibly helpful—particularly learning about their position with respect to public and private plasma collection systems.”
He also engaged with key partners and stakeholders in the field:
🔹 Pauline Meßner, a dedicated plasma donor from Germany, who shared her personal story and the rewarding impact of donation.
🔹 Clàudia Garcia Novellon from Grifols, whose work ensures the patient voice remains at the center of plasma-related initiatives.
Our sincere thanks to the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA) for hosting such a forward-thinking congress and fostering vital discussions on access, safety, and sustainability in the PDMP ecosystem.
A special thank you to Anita Brikman for championing the inclusion of patient voices throughout the program.
