Hamilton rebukes Canadian Blood Services, Grifols over paying for blood plasma donations

Hamilton, Ont., has rebuked Canadian Blood Services and Spanish pharmaceutical company Grifols over their plans to set up for-profit blood-plasma collection in the city, a practice that some health advocates say incentivizes donor exploitation by increasing compensation based on frequency.City council voted 15-0 on Wednesday to accept a recommendation from its public-health committee to declare the municipality a “paid-plasma free zone.”Mayor Andrea Horwath had introduced the motion to oppose paid collection of plasma, a straw-coloured fluid found in blood that is used for transfusions and to manufacture some medicines. She said she opposes the practice because she is concerned about exploitation.