Plasma is a blood component that composes about 55 percent of our bodily fluid. Plasma transports nutrients, hormones, and proteins to organs. It removes waste from the body, making it a critical part of health and healthcare treatments.
Plasma donations are used to treat bleeding disorders, liver disease, some cancers, immune deficiencies, respiratory disorders, surgical bleeding, burns, hemophilia, and autoimmune disorders. The process takes around two hours, starting with registration where patients fill out paperwork and undergo preliminary health checks. The next step is screening, where patients undergo a physical examination, review prior paperwork, and consent to the donation followed by the actual donation done with a plasmapheresis machine. The final step is post-donation care where patients sit and hydrate until their body has recovered from the donation.
In most cases, donating plasma only has minor side effects like dehydration and fatigue, but healthcare specialists in Canada have been speaking up against the procedure for a different reason, paid donations.
Grifols, a multinational pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturer, has recently opened two more clinics in Fredericton and Saint John. The company opened their first New Brunswick location in Moncton in 2017. Currently, there are thirteen clinics across Canada, where they collect plasma specifically to manufacture it into medications like immunoglobulins. Some experts are against paid plasma collection and these clinics.
Canadian Blood Services says commercial plasma collection threatens the established donation network due to a lack of control, which led to their agreement with Grifols that gives legal ground to opening paid plasma clinics. On the other hand, NBNU, the New Brunswick Nurses Union completely opposes paid/commercial plasma donations. They have reported that clinics that pay clients to donate risk the current blood supply. Exemplifying this fact, CBC refers to the tainted blood crisis in the 1980s which led to the infection of over 30,000 Canadians with HIV and Hepatitis C. NBNU says that paying donors for plasma leads to several issues such as compromising safety, creating competition with the voluntary system, and preventing self-sufficiency due to financial incentives.
Jean-Claude Basque from the New Brunswick Health Coalition agrees with NBNU. Basque says that Grifols was using donations for pure profit, turning to vulnerable people living in poverty and asking them to frequently donate for more money. Additionally, due to the nature of a profit-focused health clinic, Curtis Brandell from the Canadian Hemophilia Society says that paying plasma clinics puts the health and safety of all Canadians at risk.
Commercial plasma collection also leads to a heavy surplus of blood components being thrown out. Canadian Blood Services told CBC News that when their commercial partner — Grifols— has taken the necessary plasma out of the donors’ blood, all other components are discarded.
On the other hand, Dr. Graham Sher, CEO of Canadian Blood Services highlights the crucial role of Grifols in Canadian plasma collection. Sher states that their contract with Grifols ensures 50 percent plasma sufficiency and a domestic supply chain which is critical for Canada. According to Jennifer van Gennip, Executive Director of the Network of Rare Blood Disorder Organizations, prior to this agreement, most of Canada’s immunoglobulin demand was sourced from the United States with compensation. Van Gennip says that safety concerns have been completely mitigated and sees having Grifols as an agent is in the country’s best interest.
Overall, it is important to understand the cruciality of controlled plasma donations. Plasma donations are necessary for many health services, and it is important to ensure controlled and safe environments for donations. When done so, countries can reap the benefits of donations without risking the health and safety of their citizens – those both donating and receiving plasma.
