Though thousands of Canadians rely on medications made from donated plasma to treat serious, sometimes life-threatening illnesses, recent safety concerns at private donation clinics are raising questions about how the country can ensure a safe and reliable plasma supply. Dr. Luis Murguia-Favela, a Calgary immunologist who treats patients with rare diseases, says donated plasma is essential for people who rely on treatments made from its proteins and antibodies. “It’s a matter of life or death for these patients who depend on immunoglobulin treatments,” Murguia-Favela said. His message comes as Canada faces questions about plasma collection following the deaths of two people who had donated plasma at Grifols clinics in Winnipeg in October 2025. The findings have raised concerns about donor safety and oversight at private collection centres, even as demand for plasma-derived medications continues to grow. Why plasma matters Plasma is the liquid portion of blood, accounting for more than half its volume. It carries nutrients, antibodies and proteins, including clotting factors that help the body function. These components can be separated from donated plasma and used to manufacture medications for conditions including immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders and certain autoimmune and neurological diseases. Murguia-Favela said some of his patients cannot produce their own antibodies, leaving them at greater risk of severe infections without treatment. Depending on the medication, they may need infusions monthly or treatment under the skin every week. Other patients experience potentially life-threatening swelling attacks that plasma-derived medications can help prevent by reducing the risk of swelling that could block their airways. The scale of the need is significant. “Treating just one patient with immunoglobulin for a year requires plasma from about 130 donors and a patient with hemophilia may require the equivalent of plasma from about 1,200 donors for a year’s treatment,” he said. “So, demand is really growing and we depend a lot on the plasma that is sent to us from the U.S.,” Murguia-Favela said. He estimates around 80 per cent of the plasma used to make these medicines for Canadians comes from the United States, while only about 15 to 20 per cent comes from Canadian donations. Unlike some other medical products, plasma-derived therapies depend on human donations. Murguia-Favela said increasing domestic collections would help Canada meet patients’ needs and reduce its reliance on foreign supply. Safety concerns at private clinics The push to increase donations comes amid scrutiny of Grifols, a Spain-based pharmaceutical company that operates private plasma collection centres in Canada. In December 2025, Health Canada inspected the company’s Calgary centre on Sunridge Way N.E. Findings documented in January 2026 identified 10 areas of non-compliance with federal regulations. Among the issues were cases in which the clinic could not establish whether donors met eligibility requirements, an incorrect deferral period for a donor who had reported an infection, insufficient staff training and failures to implement effective corrective measures. Inspectors also identified problems with record-keeping, equipment maintenance, the use of malfunctioning equipment and the handling of accidents and errors. The findings included mislabeled donation bottles and deficiencies in quality-control processes. Health Canada found non-compliance at other Grifols locations as well. The findings preceded the company’s temporary closure of its 16 Canadian plasma collection operations last month, following the deaths of two people after donating plasma at its Winnipeg clinics. One was Rodiyat Alabede, a 22-year-old international student who died on Oct. 25, 2025, after becoming unresponsive during her first plasma donation at the company’s Taylor Avenue centre. The medical examiner attributed Alabede’s death to sudden cardiac death resulting from dilated cardiomegaly, an enlargement of the heart. The death was classified as natural, and the medical summary concluded there was no evidence the donation procedure, equipment or products caused it. Health Canada’s investigation identified separate concerns about the clinic’s procedures and staff training. In a Dec. 5, 2025, letter, the agency required immediate corrective action at Grifols locations using a particular plasmapheresis machine. Health Canada said staff were not consistently following instructions for responding to high-return-pressure alerts, including when to stop a donation. In Alabede’s case, the agency found an alert recorded a pressure reading above the threshold specified in the machine’s operating instructions, but collection resumed. It also found that not all alerts had been documented. The findings raise questions about whether procedures were followed during the collection process, but they do not establish that regulatory violations caused Alabede’s death. Advocate calls for investigation as Grifols defends safety record Katherine Lanteigne, a former executive director of BloodWatch.org and Alabede’s patient advocate, is calling for a broader investigation into Grifols’ practices across Canada. Lanteigne said the machine generated five alerts during Alabede’s donation and argued staff should have stopped the procedure. “The really important part to recognize is that Grifols Pharmaceuticals did not remove Miss Alabede and terminate her plasmapheresis process seven minutes in when the alerts on the machine were warning the technician to stop the donation,” Lanteigne said. She is concerned there may have been more alerts because Health Canada found not all were logged. She also pointed to clinical notes she said documented Alabede convulsing and experiencing a prolonged seizure. Health Canada identified concerns about staff responses to machine alerts and documentation. However, its review found no evidence the donation procedure, equipment or products caused Alabede’s death. Lanteigne said the findings should not end scrutiny of the company. “We need an investigation into why this company was behaving in such a manner for years across Canada,” she said. She also pointed to findings at Grifols’ Calgary clinic, including concerns about donor screening and plasma bottle labelling, as well as a case in Regina in which she said a donor’s questionnaire response indicating a high risk for HIV had been changed. “When you don’t screen donors appropriately, you put them in harm’s way. This doesn’t happen at Canadian Blood Services,” she said. Lanteigne questioned whether regulations were being adequately enforced and disagreed with the federal government’s position that paying people to donate plasma is not, in itself, a safety issue. “I clearly disagree,” she said. Grifols maintains that donor safety and regulatory compliance remain central to its operations, saying in a statement that “at no point has the integrity of the plasma collected at our facilities been compromised.” The company said it voluntarily paused plasma collection at all its Canadian donation centres and submitted corrective action plans to Health Canada. The centres remain operational while employees complete quality training and readiness work, with collections expected to resume “as soon as feasible in alignment with Health Canada.” Grifols said it has also introduced changes to operating procedures, documentation, employee training and supervision, staffing, quality reviews and operational oversight. The company extended its condolences to Alabede’s family and friends, describing her death as “a tragic loss of life.” It rejected suggestions that plasma donation contributed to her death, citing the findings of Manitoba’s Chief Medical Examiner and Health Canada. “Following its investigation, Manitoba’s Chief Medical Examiner stated it would be irresponsible to link Ms. Alabede’s death to the donation process,” the statement said. “Health Canada conducted its own review and found no connection between her death and plasma donation. Suggesting otherwise is false and disregards the findings of the authorities tasked with determining cause of death and regulating plasma collection in Canada,” the company said. Lanteigne disputes Grifols’ response, accusing the company of denying evidence and failing to take responsibility for what happened. “The company is denying medical and scientific evidence and trying to whitewash a circumstance,” she said. “We have all of this documentation that was provided to Health Canada and in my view, it makes them a very dangerous company, because it means that for any future adverse reactions, the company can just basically say anything they want and expect Canadians to believe them, which I don’t think anybody does.” Lanteigne said the focus should remain on Alabede and her family. “The most important thing is to shine a light on what has happened to Miss Rodiyat Alabetti,” she said. “It is deeply unfair.” Grifols said it remains committed to working with Health Canada and its partners to strengthen Canada’s supply chain for plasma-derived medicines. Encouraging donations safely For Murguia-Favela, the controversy underscores the importance of ensuring plasma is collected safely while maintaining awareness of the patients who depend on it. He said Canadian Blood Services provides a national system for collecting donations and ensuring blood components are handled appropriately and directed to patients. Private clinics that offer compensation for plasma donations remain closed while Health Canada reviews safety and regulatory issues before any potential reopening. Murguia-Favela said incentives for donors are a matter of debate, but the priority should be ensuring any donation system operates safely and meets required standards. “We hope that we don’t need incentives for people to donate,” he said. “But sometimes when we need them, if that’s something that will make some more Canadians donate, that could be okay as long as it’s done safely, securely and with all the standards and regulations that are needed.” He encourages people to learn more about plasma donation through reliable sources, including Canadian Blood Services, and to speak with their health-care providers if they have questions. Murguia-Favela follows more than 200 patients, about one-third of whom receive plasma-derived therapies. Their needs represent only a portion of the demand across Alberta and Canada. With patient numbers growing and much of the supply coming from abroad, he hopes more Canadians will consider donating. “Patient numbers are increasing and we know that we’re going to need more.”
