Canada Halts Plasma Collection at Private Clinics After Two Donor Deaths

A private plasma donation chain in Canada has announced a pause in collections after two donors died, while the government launches an investigation into potential unsafe practices at Spain's Grifols.

Grifols, the Spanish healthcare company operating 17 clinics in Canada and the only private collector of plasma in the country, said it notified Health Canada of its decision to halt collections as of Wednesday. On the same day, the agency issued a formal notice of non-compliance with blood regulations, according to a senior official who spoke to the Globe and Mail.

The two deaths occurred after plasma donations in October 2025 and January 2026, Health Canada reported in March. Both donors were in Manitoba and both collapsed during the donation process, according to people familiar with the cases.

While Health Canada did not release the donors' names, friends identified one as Rodiyat Alabede, a 22-year-old international student and aspiring social worker who donated plasma in Winnipeg on October 25.

Patient advocates reported in late May concerns about whether Alabede was properly screened. "They let staff take plasma from a donor without knowing how to safely extract plasma," Kat Lanteigne, a blood safety advocate representing Alabede's family, alleged. "The failures are so severe that... now we have more questions than answers," she said in May.

Autopsy results showed Alabede died of cardiac arrest shortly after donating. Health Canada said it found no "link" between her death and the plasma donation. However, patient advocates have called for a new investigation into her death, citing "significant medical discrepancies" between the autopsy completed two days after her death and the medical summary issued by Health Canada on March 27.

The Guardian also reviewed Health Canada inspection reports from May, which found numerous deficiencies at Grifols clinics, including inadequate staff training, errors in standard operating procedures, poor record-keeping, and Grifols' failure to address previous issues. The reports also showed staff did not stop plasma collection when alarms sounded and described the company's reporting as "incomplete" and "inaccurate."

Before the pause, donations were allowed twice a week at Grifols, which paid donors up to C$100 per donation. Plasma is the pale yellow protein-rich fluid in blood that helps move red and white blood cells and platelets through blood vessels, according to Canadian Blood Services, the nonprofit that runs Canada's national blood supply. Plasma also helps prevent excessive bleeding and is used to make medications for conditions like hemophilia, liver disease, and certain cancers.

Plasma donation differs from whole blood donation. An apheresis machine draws blood, separates it into components, collects the needed parts, and returns the rest to the body, per Canadian Blood Services. The process takes about 90 minutes, compared to about 10 minutes for a standard blood donation.

In Canada, provinces and territories decide whether to allow paid plasma clinics. British Columbia and Quebec prohibit them, but Manitoba, where the two deaths occurred, does not ban companies from paying plasma donors.

Grifols said it decided to pause collections "proactively and voluntarily" due to "unfounded attention." The company said the pause will allow it to work with Health Canada and Canadian Blood Services. It has denied any connection between the two deaths and plasma donation. On Friday, Health Canada said it found "various deficiencies" at the Grifols site on Taylor Avenue in Winnipeg. A spokesperson for the site said they are working closely with the company to resume operations. "Canadians can be assured that this decision will not affect the safety and security of Canada's blood and plasma supply," Grifols stated.