Canadian plasma clinics pause collections after deaths of two donors

A chain of private plasma donation clinics in Canada has said it is pausing collections after the deaths of two donors and the opening of a new government investigation. The Guardian reports that Grifols, a Spanish healthcare company that runs 17 clinics and operates Canada's only private plasma-donation service, told Health Canada of its decision on Wednesday — the same day the agency issued a formal notice of non-compliance over a failure to follow blood regulations.

The two donors died after giving plasma in October 2025 and January 2026, and Health Canada disclosed the deaths in March of this year. One of the donors, a 22-year-old man in Winnipeg, died of cardiac arrest shortly after donating, according to an autopsy described in the report.

The case has drawn scrutiny to the safety of paid plasma donation at a time when demand for plasma-derived medicines is growing. The pause affects the clinics' donors and the wider question of how strictly private collection sites are regulated, and the investigation will determine what happens next.