Peter Johnson makes a weekly visit to the Canadian Blood Services donation center in Saint John to contribute plasma. Having experienced idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura as a child, a condition causing bruising and bleeding, Johnson underwent treatment involving steroids and intravenous immunoglobulin made from plasma. Since becoming eligible to donate, he has been actively participating in plasma donation sessions that involve a two-hour process of separating his yellow plasma from whole blood and returning the remaining blood components to his body.
Recent revelations have shed light on Canadian Blood Services’ practice of selling plasma-derived byproducts from blood donations to the multinational pharmaceutical entity Grifols SA, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. Utilizing Canadian plasma, Grifols is now manufacturing medications at its Montreal facility for distribution internationally, a practice that has stirred concerns among donors like Johnson, who expressed disapproval of donations being leveraged for profit rather than nonprofit endeavors.
Canadian Blood Services, responsible for managing the country’s blood supply outside Quebec, entered an agreement with Grifols in 2022 to assist in plasma collection. While plasma, constituting over half of blood content and rich in protein, serves critical medical purposes like transfusions during surgeries and trauma treatments, Grifols has been producing immunoglobulins like Gamunex exclusively for Canadian patients. However, the surplus byproducts from this process have been repurposed to create albumin, a medication now being marketed globally by Grifols.
The lack of transparency surrounding these developments has raised significant concerns, particularly among entities like the Canadian Health Coalition, advocating for public healthcare integrity. The Coalition views the partnership with Grifols as a deviation from initial commitments made to patients and regulators, potentially compromising Canada’s blood supply autonomy. With Grifols operating paid plasma centers across Canada, except in B.C. and Quebec, the intricate dynamics of plasma collection and commercialization pose challenges to maintaining a patient-centric approach over profit motives.
The evolving landscape of plasma product monetization underscores the need for increased government oversight and scrutiny of contractual agreements within the healthcare sector. As stakeholders like Johnson, Tom Frankish, and Mike Horgan voice varying degrees of unease over the commercialization of Canadian plasma, the imperative for safeguarding patient interests and upholding ethical standards remains paramount amidst the evolving healthcare industry landscape.
