What is Immunoglobulin (Ig)?
Ig is a medicine made from donated plasma — given to patients whose immune systems cannot produce enough antibodies, or are attacking their own bodies. Over 26,000 Australians depend on it every year to treat serious neurological, immune, and blood conditions. Demand has grown without interruption for a decade. Australia cannot produce enough domestically to meet it.

The demand picture

Ig demand has grown every single year for the past five years, averaging 7.1% annually.

At this rate, total demand roughly doubles each decade — placing sustained pressure on both supply and cost.

The $1 billion annual cost makes Ig the single largest item in Australia’s national blood system.

Yet Australian plasma collections can only produce enough to cover 38% of demand.

The next page shows what that supply gap looks like — and why it is widening.

Australia produces only 38% of its Ig domestically, manufactured by CSL Behring from voluntary, non-remunerated Australian plasma donations. The remaining 62% is imported — a proportion that grew by nearly 24% in 2023–24 alone, while domestic collections grew by only 3.2%. Imported product is also more expensive, contributing to a 9% rise in direct expenditure ($666.5 million) year-on-year. This growing import dependence exposes Australia’s Ig supply to global shortages, price pressures, and supply chain disruption. The line chart shows that while established use dominates, the emerging category is growing fastest — up 56% since 2019–20 — as the approved indications list continues to expand.

Neurology accounts for nearly half of all Ig dispensed — driven by conditions like CIDP and myasthenia gravis, where Ig is often the only effective treatment available. Haematology and immunology together make up most of the remainder, reflecting Ig’s role in patients whose immune systems have been compromised by blood cancers or bone marrow transplants. The top 3 conditions alone — acquired hypogammaglobulinaemia, CIDP, and primary immunodeficiency — account for 55.7% of all Ig use nationally. As the population ages and more conditions gain approval for Ig treatment, the pressure on an already strained supply system will only intensify.

Data source: National Blood Authority. (2024). National report on the issue and use of immunoglobulin (Ig): Annual report 2023–24 (ISSN 1839-1079). Australian Government. https://www.blood.gov.au/data-and-research/data-and-reporting
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