Bio Products Laboratory
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Biotechnology / Pharmaceuticals |
| Founded | 1954 |
| Fate | Acquired by Permira and merged with Kedrion (2022) |
| Successor | Kedrion Elstree (facility renamed in 2023) |
| Headquarters | Elstree, Hertfordshire , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, exports to more than 45 countries worldwide |
| Products | Human blood plasma derivatives |
| Owner | Permira and the Marcucci family (since 2022) |
| Parent | Kedrion Group (post-2022 merger) |
| Website | www |
Bio Products Laboratory Limited (BPL) is a producer of human blood plasma derivatives headquartered in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. Functioning as a commercial entity, BPL provides plasma-based products to the National Health Service (NHS) across the UK and exports to more than 45 nations worldwide.
Initially a government-owned organisation operating within the NHS framework, BPL was purchased on 1 September 2022 by Permira alongside the Marcucci family, who subsequently integrated its operations with Kedrion, another firm within their investment portfolio.
History
The Blood Products Laboratory originated in 1954 at the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, first overseen by the Medical Research Council before transitioning to NHS governance in 1978. Its forerunner was established in 1943 on the Elstree premises, which had been acquired by Lister in 1902.
Initial investigations by Professor R. A. Kekwick and A.S. McFarlane led to techniques for purifying and processing blood plasma suitable for transfusion. By 1948, the Blood Filtration Unit had developed into the Blood Products Research Unit, concentrating on plasma fractionation intended for clinical application.
During the 1940s, the identification of Factor VIII paved the way for haemophilia therapies, although early treatments were constrained by low factor concentrations. The creation of BPL in 1954 followed governmental acknowledgment of blood products’ therapeutic value after WWII and coincided with establishing the National Blood Transfusion Service.
In the 1970s and 1980s, BPL’s Factor VIII preparations, together with imports from the United States, were implicated in transmitting serious viral infections among haemophiliac patients. These incidents underscored risks associated with imported plasma products amid challenges to UK self-sufficiency.
Rebranded as Bio Products Laboratory in 1991, it became part of the National Blood Authority in 1993, introducing internal NHS billing and limited foreign competition. From 1998 onwards, BPL began sourcing plasma from the United States due to concerns about vCJD contamination in UK plasma supplies. In 2002, the Department of Health established DCI Biologicals Inc to acquire Life Resources Inc as a US plasma supplier.
In 2005, BPL was incorporated into NHS Blood and Transplant, aligning blood and organ services under a unified strategy. On 31 December 2010, it was formally incorporated as Bio Products Laboratory Ltd under Department of Health ownership alongside DCI Biologicals Inc within Plasma Resources UK Ltd.
In July 2013, private equity firm Bain Capital purchased an 80% stake in Plasma Resources UK for £230 million, encompassing BPL and DCI Biologicals. The entity was renamed BPL Holdings; its original facility became known as BPL Therapeutics while DCI was rebranded as BPL Plasma.
By 2018, Chinese company Creat, then sole proprietor, intended to merge operations with German plasma manufacturer Biotest. However, due to regulatory conditions affecting US plasma centers in 2022, Creat divested BPL to Kedrion BioPharma, making it a subsidiary within the Kedrion Group.
Ownership
Bain Capital acquired an 80% controlling interest in BPL in 2013, prior to which it was fully government-owned. Three years later, BPL Holdings’ shareholders sold the company to Creat, an investment firm based in Beijing with stakes in a Chinese plasma fractionation business.
In 2022, Permira and the Marcucci family reached an agreement to purchase and combine BPL with Kedrion’s operations into a unified enterprise. This consolidation brought together shareholders from both companies and required consent from co-investors.
FSI, CDP Equity, and other Kedrion stakeholders transferred their ownership interests into the new entity. To complete this transaction, the Marcucci family secured financial support from Ampersand Capital Partners and an affiliate of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA).
In 2023, the facility formerly known as BPL was renamed Kedrion Elstree; however, its product range continues to be marketed under the 'BPL' brand name.
See also
External links
- Official website of Bio Products Laboratory
- BPL's United States site
- Tim Sandle’s account of BPL’s history from 1954 to 2004 [1]
- Overview of Bio Products Laboratory’s 60-year history (1954–2014) [2]
- Sandle, T. (2004). Concise History of Bio Products Laboratory and the Elstree Facility