A Grifols facility in Parets del Valles, north of Barcelona, Spain in January, 2024. The Spanish pharmaceutical company run the only for-profit, paid plasma centres in Canada.ALBERT GEA/Reuters
Two people in Winnipeg have died in recent months after donating blood plasma at collection centres run by Spanish pharmaceutical company Grifols, according to Health Canada.
The federal regulator said it was notified of the two deaths on Oct. 25, 2025, and Jan. 30, 2026, by Grifols, who run the only for-profit, paid plasma centres in Canada.
Health Canada referred to the deaths as “fatal adverse reactions” and said it was reviewing the incidents and had not yet proven a link between the donation process and the deaths. The department said it could not release the identities of the deceased for privacy reasons.
One of the people who died was 22-year-old international student Rodiyat Alabede, who had moved to Canada from Nigeria to study at the University of Winnipeg, according to CBC.
The two deaths occurred at two separate Grifols locations in Winnipeg, one on Taylor Avenue and one on Innovation Drive.
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Grifols said it is investigating the deaths and also co-operating with Health Canada’s review. “We were saddened to learn of the recent passings of two of our plasma donors,” the company said in an unsigned statement. “Our sincere condolences go to their families.”
Grifols said it gives donors an extensive evaluation of their health prior to donation and it currently has “no reason to believe that there is a correlation between the donors’ passing and plasma donation.”
Canadian Blood Services, which runs the blood system everywhere in Canada but Quebec, said it was not aware of any other deaths that have occurred during or because of a plasma donation in Canada.
Plasma is a straw-coloured fluid in blood used for transfusions and to make therapy products such as immunoglobulin, commonly used for people with immune disorders.
A plasma donation can take up to 90 minutes and involves taking blood from a donor, separating the fluid into its components, and returning the parts that are not plasma (such as red blood cells) back to the donor.
Grifols is facing a lawsuit in Manitoba from a separate incident involving a donation in Winnipeg.
The donor, a 43-year-old aircraft maintenance technician named Craig Loney, alleges in a statement of claim that he suffered an “acute kidney injury” and was rushed to hospital after a donation in Grifols’ Taylor Avenue location in 2023.
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The statement said Mr. Loney received an e-mail from the company shortly after the donation that said due to a “machine error,” some of his red blood cells had been “broken” and inserted back into his body, which could lead to symptoms such as blood in the urine and lower flank pain.
The statement also says he experienced low energy and fatigue for months after, and is at risk for long-term complications.
The lawsuit was filed with the Court of King’s Bench on July 9, 2025. It names “Canadian Plasma Resources Corporation, operating as Grifols” as the defendant.
In a statement of defence filed in court, the company said the donor had been to the collection centre at least 12 times before. It said the donor had been made aware of the risks and side effects of plasma donation and, if any injury had been sustained, it was not the fault of the company or its employees.
Grifols has long been a supplier of plasma-derived products to Canadian Blood Services, and has also been contracted as an adviser to the blood agency on collection strategies. In 2020, Grifols bought a manufacturing facility in Montreal to process donated plasma and turn it into various pharmaceutical products.
In 2022, CBS announced a partnership with Grifols to work together on collecting plasma to boost the amount collected in Canada, to half of the demand from less than a quarter.
The partnership received criticism from some city councils, at least one province and some public-health groups because Grifols pays donors between $30 and $100 depending on frequency and amount of the donation for their plasma, whereas CBS had long relied on voluntary donations. The critics say the payment structure incentivizes donors to donate at a frequency that may be detrimental to their health, and which attracts donors who are financially vulnerable.
Proponents of paid collection say it is the only way to reliably collect large volumes of plasma. Much of the global supply of plasma comes from the United States, where donors are paid.
Paying for blood donations is banned in Ontario, B.C. and Quebec, although Grifols has been allowed to operate in Ontario because of its partnership with CBS.
Grifols bought CPR, the only other private plasma collector in Canada, in 2023 and has taken over its locations. Grifols operates 17 sites in Canada, according to its website.
The Globe and Mail revealed last year that Grifols was using some of the plasma collected in Canada to produce medicine it was exporting to other countries.
Members of Parliament on the House of Commons health committee agreed on Tuesday to ask a representative of Grifols to testify as part of hearings on the topic of Canada’s pharmaceutical sovereignty. Conservative MP Matt Strauss brought up the export and sale of Canadian-donated plasma products during discussion of the vote.