No penguins harmed in CSL parade, blood oath

Mark Hawthorne

August 20, 2011

Penguins: not a feature of CSL's laboratory.

BUSINESS ties between Australia and China have never been stronger, so it comes as little surprise to learn that pharmaceutical giant CSL recently hosted a business delegation from the world's most populous country.
Broadmeadows was the destination - far from the most salubrious of Melbourne suburbs, but the location of CSL's bioplasma facility, where Australian blood donations are used to produce 400,000 litres of plasma products every year.
CSL is planning to spend $250 million over the next four years to upgrade the laboratory so it can also produce Privigen, a treatment for people whose immune systems do not function properly.

Advertisement: Story continues below

Privigen is made at CSL's plant in Switzerland and is exported to the US, Europe and Asia. A soaring Swiss franc has forced the company to start manufacturing in Australia as well. With that story to sell, CSL picked up its Chinese guests from a Melbourne hotel, loaded them on a bus, and drove them to ''Broady''.
Everything was running smoothly, as the company explained to the enthusiastic group just how the men and women in lab coats turned blood into a range of therapies for export. Then, midway through the presentation, a couple who had been listening intently raised their hands to ask a question of their hosts.
''Penguins?'' asked the Asian gentleman, rather timidly.
CSL managing director Brian McNamee was, quite understandably, bemused - until he realised a couple of additional people had boarded the bus at the hotel. The couple were tourists, bound for the penguin parade at Phillip Island. If you read reports of cruelty to penguins, you'll know how the story started.


source