Aurora, Colo. – September 23, 2026 -- Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz report a 100% 24-hour survival rate among 26 Ukrainian military personnel who received drone-delivered freeze-dried plasma at the point of injury, a preliminary finding from an ongoing study testing whether unmanned aircraft can bring blood products to critically injured patients before conventional evacuation reaches them.
Drones carry Octapharma-donated plasma to front-line medics in Ukraine
The freeze-dried plasma, donated by global pharmaceutical company Octapharma, is packaged for transport and flown by drone to medical teams operating near the point of injury. Unlike fresh frozen plasma, which requires freezing and thawing, the freeze-dried version can be stored at room temperature and prepared rapidly for administration, addressing a logistical barrier the FDA has identified for battlefield, remote and disaster settings.
Study tracks shock index and survival in 26 combat casualties
All 26 patients studied were Ukrainian military personnel with combat-related, primarily blast injuries and significant hemorrhage; each received at least one unit of freeze-dried plasma. Researchers observed a significant improvement in shock index, a clinical instability measure based on heart rate and blood pressure, following administration. Corey Bills, MD, associate professor at the CU Anschutz School of Medicine and a lead researcher on the project, said the goal is to bring a critical part of the medical system directly to the patient rather than waiting for transport to a hospital.
Researchers caution the observational study does not prove causation
The team notes the findings do not establish that the plasma itself caused the improvement, given the many variables affecting outcomes in severely injured patients. Researchers plan to expand data collection to more than 100 patients to determine which trauma types and patient profiles benefit most from early freeze-dried plasma access.
Octapharma frames drone delivery as a resilience strategy for supply chains
Flemming Nielsen, Board Member at Octapharma and President of Octapharma USA, said drone-based delivery of emergency trauma and wound care can reduce dependency on centralized supply and evacuation systems in hard-to-reach locations. Adit Ginde, MD, MPH, senior associate dean for clinical research at CU Anschutz and a lead researcher, said rapid blood product delivery before surgical bleeding control can sustain organ perfusion and buy time for patients to reach definitive care.
Researchers see civilian applications beyond the battlefield
Vik Bebarta, MD, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine and founder of the CU Anschutz Combat Medicine Research Center, said lessons from keeping wounded service members alive far from hospitals have historically transferred to civilian care. The team points to wildfires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and mass-casualty events as scenarios where road closures or overwhelmed ambulance systems could benefit from drone-delivered plasma to paramedics and remote medical teams.