Hamilton officials urge Canadian Blood Services to stop 'predatory' clinic that would pay for plasma

Hamilton will declare itself a "no paid plasma zone" to send the message it doesn't want Canadian Blood Services (CBS) to move forward with an east-end clinic.

Mayor Andrea Horwath said she has "very disturbing concerns" about CBS, in partnership with private pharmaceutical company Grifols, paying Hamilton residents for their plasma, which it plans to do over the next year. Similar clinics are already in operation in other provinces. 

At a public health board meeting Monday, Horwath described the practice as "predatory" and "exploitative" of vulnerable people who could be tempted to draw out a major component of their blood for quick cash.

"We have a moral obligation to do the right thing and not have people selling part of their body as a solution to poverty," Horwath said. 

Her motion to declare Hamilton a paid-plasma free zone was passed unanimously — with three councillors absent — and council will officially approve it later this month.

The motion is symbolic and doesn't stop CBS from moving ahead with a paid plasma clinic planned for Barton Street East. Hamilton currently doesn't have a clinic where people can donate plasma voluntarily.

"We appreciate the thoughtful debate and recognize this is a complex matter," said CBS in an email statement to CBC Hamilton. "We look forward to ongoing dialogue to support better understanding of the facts." 

Paid plasma clinics to increase supply: CBS

Plasma is a yellowish liquid that makes up the majority of a person's blood volume. It's what remains after blood cells and platelets are removed. Rich in protein, it's a vital ingredient in medications used to treat many conditions including immune deficiencies. 

As Canada's blood authority (except in Quebec), CBS recently entered into a 15-year agreement with Spanish company Grifols to boost domestic plasma supply and become more self-sufficient at producing plasma-derived medications, it said in a statement last year. 

CBS currently collects about 15 per cent of what's needed within Canada and purchases the remaining 85 per cent from the global market, predominately the U.S.

In March, CBS announced it would be opening five Ontario paid plasma clinics by 2025 in Hamilton, Whitby, Cambridge and two other yet-to-be-determined locations. 

Grifols' website for plasma donors says they're paid $70 per session and can donate up to twice a week. The company already runs clinics in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 

Grifols said in a statement to CBC Hamilton that it looks forward to "serving a large cross section of society helping patients in Canada with life-threatening diseases." 

Ontario, B.C. and Quebec have legislation that prohibits payments to blood and plasma donors, however in Ontario's case, CBS is exempted.

CBS has argued that Grifols is also exempt from Ontario's legislation because it's operating as an agent of CBS. 

'Not for sale'

On Monday, Hamilton councillors heard from delegates on both sides of the issue.

Christine Duncan Wilson, a Hamilton resident who relies on plasma-based Immunoglobulin replacement therapy, urged them to support paid donations to ensure Canada has a stable supply.

Advocacy groups like BloodWatch.org voiced skepticism that plasma from Canada would stay in Canada.

"We want to make it very clear: This deal does not serve Canadian patients," said executive director Kat Lanteigne.

"Do you want donors in Hamilton to be targeted by one of the most rapacious, exploitative practices of procuring human tissue in the world? We hope you send a strong message that the blood of the people in Hamilton is not for sale."