Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Plasma is the golden fluid part of the blood and it’s used to make life-saving medications for people with immune deficiencies. In Canada, plasma donors were historically volunteers, for the most part. While paid donation was legal in some provinces, it wasn’t especially common.
But in 2022, Canadian Blood Services partnered with Grifols, a Spanish company, to expand paid plasma donation. Now, they operate 17 sites across six provinces. After the deaths of two donors in the past year, however, Health Canada has been examining the company’s procedures. Earlier this month, Grifols announced they were pausing operations.
Chris Hannay covers the business of health for The Globe. Today, he’s here to talk about what we know about Grifols’ temporary closure, what we’ve learned about the deaths, and what this all means for Canada’s access to plasma-based medication.
Subscribe to The Globe and Mail's Morning Update to get stories directly in your inbox: theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/subscribe-morning-update
Plasma is the golden fluid part of the blood and it’s used to make life-saving medications for people with immune deficiencies. In Canada, plasma donors were historically volunteers, for the most part. While paid donation was legal in some provinces, it wasn’t especially common.
But in 2022, Canadian Blood Services partnered with Grifols, a Spanish company, to expand paid plasma donation. Now, they operate 17 sites across six provinces. After the deaths of two donors in the past year, however, Health Canada has been examining the company’s procedures. Earlier this month, Grifols announced they were pausing operations.
Chris Hannay covers the business of health for The Globe. Today, he’s here to talk about what we know about Grifols’ temporary closure, what we’ve learned about the deaths, and what this all means for Canada’s access to plasma-based medication.
Subscribe to The Globe and Mail's Morning Update to get stories directly in your inbox: theglobeandmail.com/newsletters/subscribe-morning-update
