OTTAWA — Health Canada has ordered the immediate suspension of the operating license for a major commercial plasma collection facility in Winnipeg operated by Spain-based Grifols. The regulatory action against the clinic—located on Taylor Avenue—comes in the wake of severe safety concerns and regulatory non-compliance following the deaths of two donors.
In October last year, 22-year-old university student Rodiyat Alabede suffered a fatal cardiac arrest shortly after donating plasma at the Taylor Avenue clinic. A second donor died in January following a donation at another Grifols-operated clinic in Winnipeg. The fatal incidents prompted comprehensive compliance investigations by Health Canada into the private company’s operational standards.
Subsequent regulatory inspections at the site revealed critical quality management failures and procedural deficiencies, including:
- Inadequate training and competency evaluations for staff handling plasma collection.
- Instances where machine safety alarms and operational protocols were overlooked.
- Incomplete or inconsistent record-keeping regarding donor health data.
- Violations of standard emergency response protocols.
After receiving a “non-compliant” rating during inspections over the summer, Grifols had voluntarily paused plasma collection across all 17 of its Canadian clinics in August. However, citing Grifols’ overall failure to implement effective “corrective and preventive actions” and establish an adequate quality management system, Health Canada formally suspended the Taylor Avenue facility’s license.
The incidents have sparked intense public debate and growing protests across Canada regarding for-profit, paid plasma collection model. Health experts, public advocacy groups, and families of the deceased are demanding stricter government oversight, justice for the victims, and a potential ban on commercial plasma operations.
