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Death of Plasma Donor Sparks Questions about Health Canada Inquiry

The clinic was cleared of wrongdoing, but advocates want to reopen the investigation

On August 13, the private plasma-collecting company Grifols, that operates seventeen donation facilities in Canada, announced that it is temporarily pausing plasma collection. In a statement, the company notes that it is doing so proactively and voluntarily. The decision follows recent coverage of investigations into the death of a donor late last year. “The temporary pause will allow Grifols to work with Health Canada and Canadian Blood Services on the framework needed to support the continued development of a sustainable and robust plasma collection network in Canada,” says the statement.

While Grifols has had a presence in Canada since 2022, it wasn’t until late last year that the company and its plasma collection services became the subject of public scrutiny. On October 25, 2025, Rodiyat Alabede, a twenty-two-year-old international student in Winnipeg, walked into a Grifols plasma donation centre on Taylor Avenue. About forty-five minutes into donating her plasma, Alabede went into sudden cardiac arrest. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. Since then, patient advocates, Alabede’s family, and others who were close to the student have agitated for transparency around Grifols and its role in plasma collection in Canada.

Grifols is a privately owned company based in Spain. In 2022, it inked a deal with the Canadian Blood Services to act as a plasma-collecting agent for the national charity. Grifols pays donors for their plasma, which the CBS has never done. The CBS still does not pay for standard whole blood donations.

Plasma is a yellow protein-rich liquid component of blood, which helps to circulate other parts of blood throughout the body. It supports the immune system, controls excessive bleeding, and is used to make products for patients with bleeding disorders, liver diseases, and cancer. At Grifols, plasma is collected through an automated process called plasmapheresis, wherein a machine collects blood from the donor, separates the plasma, and then returns the red blood cells and platelets back to the donor. The process also uses citrate, which thins the blood and can lower blood pressure.

The rationale behind paying for donations is the high and rising demand for plasma. The global demand has increased by 40 percent since 2020. At the time that Grifols came into the picture in Canada, the Canadian Blood Services was issuing warnings about a shortage of immunoglobulin, a widely used plasma-based medication.

According to the Grifols website as of May 2026, plasma donors are paid up to $100 for each of their first four plasma donations. After that, donors receive payments between $40 and $90 per donation,........

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