SK Plasma said it has become the first Korean company to supply its blood product, Albumin 20 percent inj., to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The drugmaker competed with global pharmaceutical companies to snatch NATO’s Afghanistan National Army Trust Fund project last June, sponsored by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). 

Albumin is the company’s mainstay blood product, which has indications for low albumin syndrome caused by cirrhosis and other reasons, and hemorrhagic shock, caused by loss resulting from burns and nephrotic syndrome. SK Plasma has been supplying the product to both local and foreign markets since 1984.

The final destination for SK Plasma’s products is Kabul, Afghanistan, where the soldiers and policemen are in desperate need of essential drugs due to long civil wars. 

“It is a big achievement for SK Plasma to sign the contract and ship out products to a global organization,” SK Plasma CEO Kim Yun-ho said. “As we have confirmed the excellence of our blood product, we will accelerate the expansion to other foreign markets soon.”

The company said it plans to participate in biddings for international organizations by increasing product lines. It will also continue to participate in the international procurement of the U.N.’s specialized agencies to promote global health and medical workers by supplying blood products.