Canadian plasma clinics halt collections after 2 donor deaths

A for-profit plasma donation company said it is temporarily suspending collections at all Canadian clinics amid public scrutiny following the deaths of two donors, public outlet CBC News said Friday.

Grifols said it is pausing operations due to "unfounded attention" around paid plasma collection and plans to resume as soon as practicable, in coordination with Health Canada and Canadian Blood Services.

The move follows demands for government action after CBC News reported two people died following adverse reactions while donating plasma at separate Grifols clinics in Winnipeg. A recent Health Canada inspection also identified problems with donor screening and supervision, with federal data showing 25 serious adverse reactions at Grifols-operated centers since 2018.

The pause begins Friday. Grifols notified Health Canada on Wednesday, the same day the agency gave a Winnipeg clinic a non-compliance rating. Health Canada said the clinic "did not carry out sufficient corrective and preventive actions when required."

It also found that some procedures were not consistently followed and records of "staff qualifications, training or evaluation of their competency" were sometimes inadequate.

"We see this pattern of poor practices," said Noah Schulz of the Manitoba Health Coalition, which has joined demands to ban paid plasma collection.

Schulz said Grifols' for-profit model encourages it to operate "as cheaply" as possible.

"It's not just media attention with no evidence, no basis," he said. "The Health Canada inspection reports are there. We know that there are serious problems at Grifols."

Grifols said donor safety and the quality of its plasma have never been compromised.