Why this matters for Canada
Canada is one of the world's highest-demand markets for immunoglobulin therapies, and the use of these treatments continues to grow by an estimated 6-10% annually.
High demand combined with a significant reliance on imports, creates a structural vulnerability. In Canada, thousands of patients with immune deficiencies, neurological disorders and other rare, chronic and potentially life-threatening conditions require an ongoing access to immunoglobulins. For many of these patients, no effective alternative treatment exists. beyond Canada's control.
Canada currently does not produce enough of its own immunoglobulin medicines. Around 70% of these medicines used by Canadian patients are imported, primarily from the United States. This heavy reliance on international supply leaves Canada vulnerable to global shortages, trade volatility, shipping disruptions and external supply decisions, underscoring the need to strengthen domestic self-sufficiency and healthcare resilience. Grifols is contributing to this effort by collecting plasma in Canada to manufacture immunoglobulin medicines exclusively for Canadian patients.
Healthcare sovereignty in plasma means establishing sufficient domestic capacity to protect patients from disruptions, shortages and decisions beyond Canada's control.
End-to-end Canadian supply chain
We are working to bridge the gap between Canadian plasma demand and domestic healthcare manufacturing capabilities. Through the long-standing agreement with Canadian Blood Services (CBS), plasma donated in Canada is collected at Grifols donation centres and manufactured into immunoglobulin medicines for CBS, for use by patients in Canada.
The company has supplied plasma-derived medicines for Canadian patients for more than 20 years and took a decisive step toward domestic self-sufficiency in 2020 with the acquisition of a plasma-processing and purification complex in Montréal. Today we operate 17 plasma donation centres across Canada and are developing the industrial capability to process Canadian plasma domestically.
All immunoglobulin produced from plasma collected under the agreement is exclusively for Canadian patients.
As we work to complete our Montréal manufacturing capability, the goal is a genuinely made-in-Canada pathway: Canadian donations, immunoglobulin medicines manufactured in Canada, for use by Canadian patients.
Since the agreement was signed in 2022, increasing domestic plasma collection by both has helped raise Canada's immunoglobulin self-sufficiency from roughly 15% to more than 34% — with Grifols’ ambition to reach 50% or more by 2030.
Patients who depend on these medicines
More than 10,000 Canadians receive immunoglobulin and other plasma-derived treatments each year. It is estimated that approximately 60-65% of Canadian immunoglobulin utilization is for conditions for which treatment is high priority (risk to life without treatment and no alternative therapy).
Plasma cannot be manufactured in a laboratory ‒ it is a biological source material and it must come from donors ‒ which is why a stable domestic supply matters.
Thus, for many of these patients, immunoglobulin medicine is not optional, and no effective alternative treatment exists. Reliable access to these medicines can determine whether they survive, maintain their independence and enjoy a good quality of life.
These medicines can only be produced from plasma donated by healthy individuals, and the volumes required to treat a single patient are considerable. Their availability therefore depends entirely on maintaining a stable, reliable and sufficiently large plasma supply.
For example, a single patient with primary immunodeficiency (PIDD) may need the medicines equivalent to 130 plasma donations in one year, while someone with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) could require nearly the equivalent of 465 donations over the same period.
Canada footprint
Manufacturing in Montréal, collecting across the country — an investment in Canada's long-term healthcare resilience.