Immunoglobulin (Ig) treatment improves the quality of life for some patients with immune system disorders and immune-mediated conditions. In some cases, it can even save lives.
Intravenous Ig (IVIg) is a fractionated blood product containing a concentrated mix of antibodies. It's made from pooled human plasma from hundreds of donors.
IVIg treatment is administered directly into the vein. Patients usually receive treatment in a hospital or clinic setting.
In Australia, IVIg is available under the national blood arrangements to treat conditions listed in the Criteria for clinical use of immunoglobulin in Australia.
Accessing IVIg
You can access IVIg in Australia through:
- the national blood arrangements
- other arrangements such as Jurisdictional Direct Order (JDO) or private direct order.
We manage access to government-funded IVIg under the national blood arrangements.
As with other blood products, Ig products are available at no direct cost to eligible patients under the national blood arrangements. Eligible Ig products are listed on the National Product Price List.
To ensure treatments go to those most likely to benefit, we manage access to IVIg through a governance framework. To access government-funded IVIg products, your request must meet the criteria.
All requests for IVIg products are assessed against the criteria.
Ig provided under the national blood arrangements must be applied for, approved and managed through the national online system, BloodSTAR. BloodSTAR facilitates requests for Ig in accordance with the criteria and the national policy. It also provides data to help inform future program arrangements.
Learn more about accessing IVIg outside the national blood arrangements and how we manage Australia's immunoglobulin supply.
Product allocation
When a medical officer requests access to Ig for a patient in BloodSTAR, the system allocates a product based on the patient’s specific condition, according to a pre-determined allocation matrix within BloodSTAR. The allocation matrix is updated as forecasts of demand and supply change over time. These allocations help us manage our Ig supplies.
A requesting clinician or Australian Red Cross Lifeblood authoriser can change the allocation if clinically appropriate.
Get in touch
For more information about accessing government-funded IVIg products, contact us.
Phone: 1300 025 663 (13 000 BLOOD)
Email: IgGovernance@blood.gov.au
Last updated: 27 Mar 2024