Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
The assessment of the deaths of two Winnipeg paid plasma donors is complete and Health Canada says they were not linked to the donation process.
The federal health regulator said Friday its assessment found no evidence of a machine malfunction and the equipment performed as expected, wrote Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson in an emailed statement.
Johnson wrote that these assessments look at several factors, including the timing of events, cause of death, medical history and any incidents during the plasma collection.
Health Canada began assessing the deaths after two adverse fatal reactions in Winnipeg were reported, one in October of last year and another on Jan. 30, 2026.
Johnson said any further questions about the specific cause of death would have to be answered by the province’s chief medical examiner.
The donation process is subject to several regulatory requirements under the federal government’s Blood Regulations, including “the conduct of a donor eligibility assessment,” Johnson wrote.
Rodiyat Alabede died on Oct. 25, 2025, after friends say the 22-year-old went to an appointment at the Grifols Plasma Donation Centre on Taylor Avenue to give plasma.
Friends said they were told by a doctor her heart stopped while giving the plasma at the centre.
Little is known about the second death, which occurred at its Innovation Drive location near the University of Manitoba this January.
Two people, including a 22-year-old international student, died after giving plasma at Winnipeg collection centres that pay people for their donations.
The deaths made international headlines and Manitoba’s health minister mulled banning paid plasma in the province.
Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara questioned why the province didn’t learn about these deaths until after the second one occurred.
The federal regulator announced Wednesday that “all” Grifols locations will face new terms and conditions.
The list of conditions Health Canada placed on Grifols sites across the country, including the one on Winnipeg’s Taylor Avenue, included reducing appointments so staff can fully follow procedures, reassessing the number of fully trained staff needed for positions and reviewing donor files before updating donor eligibility.
However on Friday, Johnson said the Grifols location on Innovation Drive is not subject to these new rules.
The site, officially known as Grifols Canada Plasma II Inc., operates under a separate licence “with its own quality management system,” the email said.
Health Canada said in a statement Wednesday the new conditions applied to “all 16 collection centres due to recurring, systemic deficiencies across several sites.”
Health Canada previously said the new conditions will stay in place until Grifols shows “sustained compliance” with blood regulations at all licensed sites.
Manitoba’s health minister and the province’s chief medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Grifols, a Spanish-based company which specializes in producing plasma medicines, has over a dozen plasma collection centres in Canada.
All establishments that collect plasma are regulated by Health Canada and must report to the federal regulator if a donor has experienced a serious reaction during donation or within 72 hours following a donation.
Johnson, the Health Canada spokesperson, said the regulator did not inform Manitoba’s health minister of the October death because “adverse events related to blood and plasma donation are rare and, as a result, there was no standard practice for how and when to share this type of information.”
Both locations were inspected following the deaths and several non-compliant issues were found, Johnson wrote on Friday. He declined to disclose what specific issues were found because these inspections are still considered ongoing.
