Grifols to Face Canadian Lawmakers In Plasma Donor Inquiry

Article content(Bloomberg) — Spanish drugmaker Grifols SA will address a parliamentary hearing in Canada, following the recent death of two patients who had made blood plasma donations. Sign In or Create an AccountEmail AddressContinueor View more offersArticle contentMary Hughes, Grifols’ vice-president of sales in Canada, is due to testify before a health committee on March 26 in Ottawa, according to the House of Commons website. Other pharmaceutical industry representatives have also been summoned. Article contentWe apologize, but this video has failed to load.Try refreshing your browser, ortap here to see other videos from our team.Article contentThe parliamentary procedures started after Health Canada — which has oversight of health policy — received reports that two people died following blood plasma donations at two Grifols collection centers in Winnipeg, one in October and one in January. Another patient has sued Grifols, alleging kidney damage caused by equipment failure.Article contentArticle contentHealth Canada told Bloomberg News the investigation was ongoing and that no link had been made so far between the donation process and the fatalities. Health Canada permitted both Grifols sites to continue operations, according to a statement. A spokesperson for the company said Grifols would be issuing a statement after the hearing.Article contentTop StoriesGet the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.There was an error, please provide a valid email address.Sign UpBy signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.Thanks for signing up!A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Article contentGrifols has in recent years been expanding its business in Canada. In 2022, the Barcelona-based company signed a 15-year contract with the Canadian Blood Services as the country seeks to increase the supply of plasma and cut reliance on manufacturing facilities in the US and Europe. Article contentGrifols produces drugs from blood plasma, donations of which are heavily regulated in many countries. The US and Canada are rare countries that do allow people to sell plasma to companies such as Grifols. Article contentEarlier this week Grifols announced it planned to list its US biopharma unit — its main subsidiary for acquiring plasma to made into drugs. The company aims to raise as much as $5 billion to pay down debt and the carved out unit could be valued at close to four times the size of its parent company, Bloomberg reported.Article content—With assistance from Melissa Shin and Iain Boekhoff.Article contentTrending Meet the Canadian e-bike maker who is redefining the factory floor Electric Vehicles LNG Canada signs key pipeline agreement required for phase two expansion Energy Canada’s economic performance has been lagging the U.S. for years, and Statistics Canada delves into why Economy Why market bets for interest rate hikes in Canada are so high Economy Wealthsimple receives regulatory approval to offer prediction markets to investors Fintech Share this article in your social networkCommentsYou must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.Create an AccountSign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Meet the Canadian e-bike maker who is redefining the factory floor Electric Vehicles LNG Canada signs key pipeline agreement required for phase two expansion Energy Canada’s economic performance has been lagging the U.S. for years, and Statistics Canada delves into why Economy Why market bets for interest rate hikes in Canada are so high Economy Wealthsimple receives regulatory approval to offer prediction markets to investors Fintech