A Grifols Plasma Donation Centre in Winnipeg on March 13. Grifols’ two sites in Winnipeg, where two recent deaths occurred, have been found non-compliant after Health Canada inspections.Shannon VanRaes/The Globe and Mail
Health Canada is imposing new terms and conditions on the licences of Grifols, Canada’s only major commercial collector of blood plasma, after two people died following donations in recent months.
The regulator said Wednesday that Grifols centres must immediately reduce the number of appointments per hour, better supervise new staff and improve donor records.
Grifols’ two sites in Winnipeg, where the recent deaths occurred, have been found non-compliant following Health Canada inspections, as has the company’s head office in Oakville, Ont.
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Grifols operates in Canada as part of a partnership with Canadian Blood Services, a government-funded charity that operates the nation’s blood system everywhere but Quebec. CBS has designated Grifols its “agent” for the purposes of circumventing a ban on paying plasma donors in Ontario, where Grifols has opened five collection centres since 2022.
Health Canada said it will continue monitoring Grifols’ activities to ensure compliance with the new conditions.
“Establishments that fail to comply may be subject to further enforcement,” spokesperson Mark Johnson said in an e-mail.
Neither Grifols nor CBS had immediate comment on Health Canada’s announcement.