Regina location<\/a> was also rated as non-compliant in January. Its Saskatoon centre was found non-compliant in 2023, and the Saint John location received the same rating in a 2022 pre-licensing inspection.<\/p>\n“The facts that we have in front of us are unsettling and disturbing,” said Andrew Longhurst, a senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.<\/p>\n
He’s calling for greater scrutiny of the for-profit plasma industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt raises a lot of concerns about whether Health Canada’s regulatory approach is too hands-off. And I would argue we need a much more hands-on, robust enforcement and regulatory approach across the country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In a statement, Health Canada said the country\u2019s plasma system involves rigorous screening, testing and monitoring, and is recognized as one of the safest in the world.<\/p>\n
Company working \u2018swiftly\u2019 to deal with problems<\/p>\n
In a statement, Grifols said it is working to address the concerns documented in December.<\/p>\n
\u201cDonor safety and plasma quality remain our top priorities; and we are committed to ensuring the long-term integrity and reliability of our operations worldwide,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to CBC News.<\/p>\n
According to Grifols, plasma donation centres face several layers of regulatory oversight as well as internal quality controls.<\/p>\n
\u201cA \u2018non-compliant\u2019 rating means that the identified operational processes require improvement; and we are working hard to address those swiftly,\u201d the statement said in part.<\/p>\n
Grifols said it has submitted detailed action plans to address the Calgary and Regina inspection findings and started implementing changes right away.<\/p>\n
No Alberta deaths reported<\/p>\n
Health Canada, which regulates both paid and unpaid plasma collection facilities, said it has not received any reports of deaths from plasma centres in Alberta since 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The federal agency confirmed it has received three reports of serious adverse reactions among donors dating back to 2023:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feb. 14, 2023: Canadian Plasma Resources, Edmonton.March 21, 2023:\u00a0 Canadian Plasma Resources,\u00a0 Calgary.July 4, 2023: Canadian Plasma Resources, Calgary.<\/p>\n
A fourth report from Grifols\u2019 Calgary location in June 2024 was not confirmed.<\/p>\n
Grifols announced plans to buy out Canadian Plasma Resources centres in June 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is important to note these reports do not necessarily imply that a relationship between the adverse event and the plasma donation process has been established,” the Health Canada spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“However, they are an important information source for our ongoing safety monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n
The agency said its Calgary inspection included verifying the centre\u2019s incident investigations, examining records related to the incidents, as well as ensuring standard operating procedures were being followed and that sufficient qualified personnel are present.<\/p>\n
It would not provide further specifics.<\/p>\n
When a facility is deemed \u201cnon-compliant,\u201d Health Canada will generally return for a re-inspection within a year, a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
The agency said it maintains strict oversight over plasma collection centres, and it \u201cwill not hesitate to take action to mitigate risks to Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is currently inspecting Grifols’ head office in Oakville, Ont. <\/p>\n
![\"bags](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775129740_323_default.jpg\")
Plasma is a protein-rich pale yellow liquid that, when separated from blood, can be used to manufacture medications to treat a number of conditions, including immune deficiencies and autoimmune disorders. (CBC News)No ban considered in Alberta<\/p>\n
While plasma collection is regulated federally, provinces can decide whether or not to allow clinics to pay for plasma.\u00a0<\/p>\n
British Columbia, Quebec and Ontario (with some exceptions) have legislation prohibiting them, and Manitoba\u2019s health minister recently said a ban could be an option<\/a>.<\/p>\nIn response to questions following news of the Manitoba deaths, the Alberta government said a ban is not on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada faces a shortage of domestically produced blood plasma and imports the majority of the plasma it needs from paid donors in the United States. By allowing private plasma donation, including … in Alberta, Canada has increased its supply,\u201d said Kyle Warner, press secretary for Alberta\u2019s minister of hospital and surgical health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no plan to reintroduce a ban.\u201d<\/p>\n
Plasma collected through Grifols is shipped away, often to the United States, for manufacturing before the products are used to treat Canadian patients, according to Tordon, who is also a clinical assistant professor in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Calgary.<\/p>\n
This involves extensive processing and safety testing, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing that clearly implicates our blood supply as being unsafe or that there are extensive issues to the transfusion practices that we perform in Canada,” said Tordon. <\/p>\n
While blood collection is generally safe, there are some inherent risks for donors, he noted, including bruising, blood pressure drops and seizures. Some cardiac conditions can put the donor at risk of serious problems or even death, he said.<\/p>\n
Donor screening is key, according to Tordon. <\/p>\n
He urges plasma donors to provide their full health and medication history, along with any previous donation problems, to ensure the process is as safe as possible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A Calgary centre that pays people for their plasma was designated as \u201cnon-compliant\u201d by Health Canada in December…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":577298,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":{"0":"post-577297","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-calgary","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-calgary","10":"tag-canada"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=577297"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/577297\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/577298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=577297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=577297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=577297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}