The plasma trade is becoming ever-more hypocritical

Shelby’s latest arrival will be one of 400 or so plasma-collection centres to have opened in America since the start of 2020, as pharmaceutical firms respond to growing demand. Last year American blood-product exports accounted for 1.8% of the country’s total goods exports, up from just 0.5% a decade ago—and were worth $37bn. That makes blood the country’s ninth-largest goods export, ahead of coal and gold. All told, America now supplies 70% or so of the plasma used to make medicine.