Two plasma donors in Winnipeg have died just months apart after visiting the same for-profit clinic

Two plasma donors in Winnipeg have died within months of each other after visiting the same for-profit clinic network, triggering a federal investigation and raising concerns about transparency in Canada’s paid plasma industry. Health Canada confirmed it is examining fatal “adverse reactions” reported at Grifols clinics in October and January, both incidents occurring after donations at the Spanish company’s Winnipeg locations, according to the New York Times. One of the donors, identified by friends as 22-year-old international student Rodiyat Alabede, became unresponsive during an October appointment and died shortly afterward, Manitoba’s medical examiner reported. Grifols officials say there is no confirmed link between the deaths and the donation process.

Grifols runs 17 clinics in Canada and compensates frequent donors with thousands of dollars annually. The company says it reported both deaths to authorities within 72 hours, conducted an internal review, and recently introduced a new waiting period between donations, though it still permits two visits per week. Patient safety advocates say they first learned of the deaths through media reports and argue the public should have been informed sooner—a concern heightened by Canada’s history with contaminated blood products in the 1980s. Experts interviewed by the CBC expressed surprise at the close timing of the deaths, since plasma donation is generally considered very safe.

Hematologist Ryan Zarychanski told the outlet that severe harm from plasma donation is extremely rare, comparing the risk to “getting struck by lightning.” He said the most serious complication he has seen is fainting. Zarychanski suggested the recent deaths could indicate underlying health issues in the donors, procedural errors, or equipment malfunction. The latter possibility is also at the center of a separate Winnipeg lawsuit, in which a donor claims he experienced “acute kidney injury” after a machine error caused damaged red blood cells to be returned to his body, according to the Globe and Mail.

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