Plasma and other products derived from blood were reapproved in the European Union in 2005. Why were they taken off the market?
Plasma and other products derived from blood were the first products to be re-allowed on the European market after the precautionary protection measures taken in 2000 against BSE (commonly known as mad cow disease, as commonly called) were lifted. At that time there were no analytical methods available that could identify the type of animal proteins and the species of origin in the feed. As soon as these methods were applied, the EU decided to lift the temporary and provisional decision.