"Factor VIII concentrate was developed later in the decade. Production involved pooling many batches of donated blood, then fractionating it. The Factor VIII was freeze-dried and packed into bottles. Haemophiliacs could get it out of the fridge themselves, mix it and inject it to stop bleeds. It was a miracle treatment: in 1962 the median life expectancy for severe haemophiliacs in Britain was 37; by 1980 it was practically normal."
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n22/florence-sutcliffe-braithwaite/we-ve-messed-up-boys
"Ultimately, however, Factor VIII killed many of those who infused it in the 1970s and 1980s. For decades, British officials and ministers claimed that the contaminated blood scandal was a tragedy no one could have prevented: when haemophiliacs began to be infected, hepatitis C hadn’t even been named, and HIV/Aids was entirely unknown; new protocols were introduced once the dangers became clear. According to Margaret Thatcher, ‘all patients received the best treatment available in light of the medical knowledge at the time.’ These claims were not true."
https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v45/n22/florence-sutcliffe-braithwaite/we-ve-messed-up-boys
