The $30 million toe in the water

Barcelona-based Grifols,a pharmaceutical company licensed by Health Canada, operates a network of 17 plasma donation centres in six provinces under an agreement signed with Canadian Blood Services in 2022.

GrifolsCBS has said it needs a private partner to collect sufficient quantities of plasma in Canada, but public-health advocates say the pay-for-donation business model raises ethical and safety concerns.

On a Saturday afternoon in October, 22-year-old university student Rodiyat Alabede began her first donation of plasma at a commercial collection centre in Winnipeg operated by Grifols.

Why 4,000 unsold units became the prize

The procedure began at about 4:15 p.m. Over the next 46 minutes,the donation machine displayed five alerts related to the young woman’s blood pressure and blood flow.

At least one of these could have resulted in the donation being terminated if staff had responded according to the plasma machine’s operating manual, a newly obtained report by Health Canada says.

At 5:01 p.m., Ms. Alabede began convulsing with seizure-like symptoms.

An echo of Sydney's 2024 institutional buy-up

Grifols staff ended the donation two minutes later but had difficulty finding a pulse.

Over the next hour, staff and then paramedics tried to resuscitate her but could not.

She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

The documents obtained by Rodiyat Alabede's family through requests to federal and provincial authorities paint a timeline of what happened when she died .

New documents obtained by Rodiyat Alabede's family through requests to federal and provincial authorities paint a timeline of what happened when she died.

The documents include Grifols' internal reports written shortly after the death; contemporaneous accounts from Winnipeg first-responders and hospital physicians; letters from a Health Canada inspector who visited the clinic following the death; and Grifols' written responses to Health Canada's concerns.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

According to Grifols' reports, Ms. Alabede arrived at their clinic on Taylor Avenue at 2:11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.

It was her first time donating plasma, a golden-coloured,protein-rich fluid found in blood.

After going through the company's registration, screening and medical assessment process, the donation began at 4:15 p.m.

A familiar pattern from the 2019 crash

During a plasma donation, blood is extracted and drawn into a machine, where it is mixed with anticoagulants and separated into components.

The red blood cells and saline are then reinserted into the donor while the plasma is retained .

According to Grifols' report, four alerts displayed on the machine attached to Ms. Alabede at 4:20 p.m., 4:22 p.m., 4:35 p.m. and 4:53 p.m.