By Gemma Guasch
Sept 24 (Reuters) – Spanish drugmaker Grifols said Health Canada’s decision to suspend its license to collect plasma at its Taylor Avenue facility in Winnipeg had no impact on ongoing operations.
Health Canada officially suspended the facility’s license to collect the blood component after the regulator expressed concerns about its quality management system following a donor’s death last year, Canada’s Globe and Mail reported on Wednesday.
“At no point has the safety of donors, patients or the quality and safety of plasma collected at the Taylor Avenue centre, or any of our other Canadian centers been compromised,” Grifols said in a statement later on Wednesday.
• Grifols said in the Wednesday statement that operations would be unaffected because the company had already voluntarily suspended plasma collection at the facility.
• It said it was already working with the regulator on a re-opening plan, after Health Canada’s inspection of the centre.
• CBC News reported earlier this year that two people had died in October 2025 and January 2026 after donating plasma at Grifols clinics in Winnipeg, including the Taylor Avenue location.
• Grifols said that, while it was the majority shareholder of Canada Plasma Inc, governance arrangements had previously limited its ability to direct the company’s operations.
• After assuming effective control of the business and following deficiencies identified by Health Canada at several donation centres, Grifols accelerated the acquisition of the remaining ownership stake to take full management control, it said.
• Since suspending plasma collection at the Taylor Avenue facility, the company has conducted a review of operations across its centres, including staff retraining and enhancements to procedures and quality systems, Grifols added.
(Reporting by Gemma Guasch; Editing by Jan Harvey)
