Canadian Blood Companies (CBS) is confirming that Whitby would be the residence of a paid assortment web site for plasma.
On Tuesday, the Ontario Public Service Workers Union (OPSEU) mentioned the Whitby web site can be considered one of 5 – in Ontario – to be run by Grifols, a Spanish pharmaceutical firm. The union denounced the follow of paying for plasma, arguing it might exploit folks in monetary want.
Grifols famous final 12 months that it anticipated the Ontario websites to be open in 2024.
CBS itself doesn’t pay for blood or plasma, but it surely does have an exemption underneath the Voluntary Blood Donations Act. The company mentioned Grifols will function as considered one of its brokers, underneath the Act.
Plasma is a yellow fluid that kinds a key a part of human blood. It may be used to provide medicines referred to as immunoglobulins, which carry out a wide range of capabilities. They’re often used to spice up weak immune programs, or to settle down overactive immune programs which have begun attacking the physique.
CBS signed a deal in 2022 with Grifols in an effort to bolster Canada’s plasma provide.
Based on the blood company, Grifols will want to ensure the plasma it collects in Canada can be used solely to make drugs for Canadian sufferers. The company says this can cut back its reliance on the worldwide market.
Meantime, OPSEU argues the deal privatizes plasma assortment in Canada. The union additionally argued it might disincentivize folks from donating blood and as an alternative give their plasma for cash.
Over the past 12 months, the union has campaigned to maintain paid plasma assortment websites out of Ontario, arguing they may exploit weak populations.
The company argues the Whitby location is not going to affect blood assortment on the nationwide degree.
A full assertion by CBS is as follows:
In September 2022, Canadian Blood Companies introduced our motion plan in response to a worldwide scarcity of medicines referred to as immunoglobulins and plasma wanted to make them. Our settlement with Grifols, a worldwide healthcare firm and chief in producing plasma medicines, is one a part of that plan.
In June 2023, we introduced Grifols’ subsequent steps in fulfilling its contractual dedication to Canadian Blood Companies, which embody opening as much as 5 plasma assortment websites in Ontario, the place Grifols will function underneath the Voluntary Blood Donations Act as our agent. Canadian Blood Companies has accredited Whitby, Ont., as the placement of considered one of Grifols’ assortment websites as we now have decided this location is not going to have an effect on nationwide blood system operations.
Paying plasma donors doesn’t imply medicines created from their plasma are unsafe. Throughout manufacturing, plasma from all donors (each paid and unpaid) is cleaned and purified to take away and inactivate potential infectious brokers.
Well being Canada is the regulator of blood and blood merchandise in Canada. This contains donor eligibility standards and security measures, resembling how usually plasma will be collected from a donor, no matter whether or not they’re paid. As per the Meals and Medicine Act, all assortment websites in Canada, together with Grifols’ websites, should receive a license to function from Well being Canada and bear common inspections, like we do.
Canadian Blood Companies’ precedence, because the nationwide blood operator, is making certain sufferers in Canada proceed to have entry to important lifesaving therapies they want. With funding from governments, Canadian Blood Companies is opening 11 devoted plasma donor centres (9 of which have opened) and amassing extra plasma ourselves.
We wish to reinforce that our settlement with Grifols doesn’t change Canadian Blood Companies’ operations. It signifies that:
Much more plasma can be collected in Canada, for folks in Canada, a lot sooner.
Grifols should use plasma they accumulate in Canada to make immunoglobulins solely for sufferers in Canada, decreasing our reliance on the worldwide market.
And, for the primary time, immunoglobulins can be made in Canada at Grifols’ plant opening quickly in Montréal.
Canadian Blood Companies will proceed to make sure by way of this settlement that the medicines we buy from Grifols maintain assembly the identical monitor file in security as these we now have bought on behalf of well being programs for sufferers in Canada for greater than 25 years.
The unique launch by OPSEU is as follows:
OPSEU/SEFPO condemns the announcement by Canadian Blood Companies that for-profit multinational pharmaceutical firm Grifols will open paid plasma assortment websites in Whitby, Cambridge and Hamilton in late 2024 and 2025. Grifols can be working underneath an undisclosed 15-year take care of Canadian Blood Companies to denationalise plasma assortment in Canada.
“The only way to keep our blood supply safe in Canada is to keep private, for-profit corporations like Grifols away from it,” mentioned Geoff Cain, OPSEU/SEFPO Govt Board member and Chair of the Blood Companies and Diagnostics sector. “Canadian Blood Services already collects plasma. There’s no reason why we can’t invest in our own plasma centres, and upgrade more of our blood donation centres so they can collect plasma as well from voluntary donors. We don’t need a blood-for-money system in Ontario.”
Introducing for-profit plasma assortment websites the place Grifols pays donors for his or her plasma not solely exploits weak folks experiencing monetary issue, however might additionally create a lower in volunteers donating complete blood to Canadian Blood Companies, undermining system as a complete.
“When the profit motive is introduced into any public service, corners inevitably get cut in order to increase profits,” mentioned OPSEU/SEFPO President JP Hornick. “We simply cannot take the chance with our blood supply that profits will trump ethics. Canadian Blood Services has the trained staff and best practices to ensure that every step of the blood collection process is done safely and ethically in a public system.”
After the contaminated blood tragedy of the 1980’s, the Krever Fee made the next suggestions, reaffirmed by main blood coverage organizations all over the world, together with the World Well being Group:
Canada’s blood system needs to be self-sufficient
Blood needs to be a public useful resource
Donors shouldn’t be paid for blood
Entry to blood merchandise needs to be common and free.
OPSEU/SEFPO launched NoPaidPlasma.ca in 2023, with actions and assets for the general public to take to cease paid plasma assortment in Ontario.
“It’s time for Canadian Blood Services to cancel their deal with Grifols,” mentioned Hornick. “Plasma and blood are not a for-profit commodity. They are life-saving resources that should be kept in public hands.”
Cowl picture courtesy of Canadian Blood Companies.
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