Normal human immunoglobulin (NHIg) is a fractionated blood product. It is made from pooled human plasma from donors with high concentrations of specific antibodies. NHIg is sometimes called intramuscular immunoglobulin as it's usually administered into a muscle.

National NHIg Policy

In Australia, NHIg is available under the national blood arrangements for 2 specific purposes:

  • public health disease control activities, to treat susceptible contacts of an indicated infectious disease (hepatitis A, measles, poliomyelitis or rubella), where directed by the public health units in each state and territory
  • the treatment of specified immunodeficiency conditions in patients for whom treatment with both intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg) is contraindicated.

NHIg cannot be provided for any other purpose, including travel prophylaxis for hepatitis A. Advice in relation to prophylaxis for hepatitis A can be found in the Australian Immunisation Handbook(Opens in a new tab/window) on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

As with other blood products, NHIg is available at no direct cost to eligible patients under the national blood arrangements. Refer to the National Product Price List for product details.

Using NHIg for public health disease control

Government-funded NHIg may be supplied as a post-exposure prophylactic for people who may have been exposed to one of these infectious diseases:

  • hepatitis A
  • measles
  • poliomyelitis
  • rubella.

The use of NHIg in these cases is under the direction of a Public Health Unit (PHU) in the relevant state or territory or an Infectious Disease Consultant (IDC).

The Communicable Diseases Network Australia provides a series of national guidelines(Opens in a new tab/window) to help public health units respond to notifiable diseases.

Ordering NHIg for public health disease control can be done in one of two ways, depending on whether your facility is set up to order products from Lifeblood, and if it is, how you place your orders. If you are unsure whether your facility is set up to order products from Lifeblood, you can contact your local Lifeblood Customer Service Delivery team(Opens in a new tab/window) to confirm. 

Ordering NHIg via BloodNet

Most hospitals should be able to order NHIg via BloodNet, in the same way other blood products are ordered. This may include the hospital laboratory or pharmacy ordering product on behalf of the treating physician. 

When using BloodNet to order NHIg for public health disease control, the person submitting the order must include a comment noting which PHU or IDC gave advice about requesting NHIg for this use. Facilities that have jurisdictional approval to hold stock can place routine orders to replenish stock as required without including a comment.

Ordering NHIg using the NHIg order form

GP clinics and hospitals who are not set up to order products via BloodNet should use the NHIg order form to place an order. 

Complete the order form below, then submit the completed form to Lifeblood in your state or territory (contact details are on the form).

Using NHIg when IVIg and SCIg are both contraindicated

Government-funded NHIg may be supplied for the treatment of specified immunodeficiency conditions for patients in whom both IVIg and SCIg are contraindicated in accordance with the National Policy: Access to Government-Funded Immunoglobulin Products in Australia. When used for this purpose, access to NHIg is managed through the same framework applied to SCIg products, which has two broad requirements:

  • The patient must be under the care of a clinical specialist within a hospital participating in the National SCIg Program
  • The patient has one of the following medical conditions, with circumstances that meet the Criteria for the clinical use of immunoglobulin in Australia (the Criteria):
    • Inborn errors of immunity (IEI) with antibody deficiency
    • Specific antibody deficiency
    • Acquired hypogammaglobulinaemia secondary to haematological malignancies or post-haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
    • Secondary hypogammaglobulinaemia unrelated to haematological malignancy or haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)

To request NHIg for these patients, an authorisation request must be submitted, approved and managed through BloodSTAR, Australia’s online system for accessing government-funded immunoglobulin products. BloodSTAR facilitates requests for Ig in accordance with the Criteria and the National Policy. When completing an authorisation request, you will need to request NHIg instead of the allocated IVIg or SCIg product and explain the specific clinical reason that IVIg and SCIg cannot be prescribed. 

Once an authorisation request has been submitted and approved, Dispensers (usually a pathology laboratory or pharmacy) can use BloodNet to order and dispense NHIg in accordance with the approved patient authorisation. 

Get in touch

For more information about accessing government-funded NHIg products, contact us.

Phone: 1300 025 663 (13 000 BLOOD)

Email: IgGovernance@blood.gov.au

Last updated: 16 Dec 2025

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