FDA gives approval for DOD use of freeze dried plasma -24 years after the French received similar approval.
After a year full of discussion and disagreement over whether freeze-dried blood plasma would be accessible for use by the Department of Defense, the FDA has approved the use of the potentially life-saving product to treat injuries to U.S. troops, according to The Hill.
Plasma plays an important role in the human body, and it has clotting properties that can stop bleeding, especially in life or death circumstances on the battlefield.
Freeze-dried plasma is easier to transport than the liquid form of plasma, especially in an environment like the battlefield. Plasma needs to be kept cold, so freeze-drying the solution avoids the need to keep it at an optimal temperature while in a medical kit in combat. The product has a shelf life of about two years.