Grifols announced it has signed a pioneering long-term agreement with Canadian Blood Services to greatly increase the country's self-sufficiency in immunoglobulin (Ig) medicines, essential plasma-protein therapies used to treat a wide range of immunodeficiencies and other medical conditions. It's the first-ever agreement of its kind and will ensure Canadian plasma is processed into Ig medicines on Canadian soil for the exclusive needs of the thousands of patients in the country who critically depend on these lifesaving therapies. Canada has a high Ig usage rate and currently needs to import as much as 85% of its Ig, with demand growing an average of 5-8% annually.

The collaboration agreement with Canadian Blood Services, part of Grifols' long-term global growth strategy, will combine with the work already being done by Canadian Blood Services to accelerate Canada's Ig self-sufficiency rate from 15% to 50% in the shortest time possible. Under the agreement, Grifols will work with Canadian Blood Services to steadily increase sourcing of the Canadian plasma necessary so that volumes eventually reach 2.4 million grams of Ig medicines annually by 2026. Over the life of the 15-year renewable contract, Ig pricing will be in line with Western market values and subject to periodic reviews.

Grifols' newly built, Montreal plant is expected to start operations in 2024 and be fully operational sometime in 2026, when the company will become the only large-scale commercial manufacturer of plasma products in Canada. Until then, production will take place at its site in Clayton, N.C. Signaling its long-term commitment to the Canadian market, Grifols in 2020 invested over USD 400 million in its Montreal facilities, including a fractionation plant with a capacity of 1.5 million liters annually and two purification plants. Since then Grifols has been expanding and converting the installations.

In early 2022, Grifols acquired its first donation center in Canada, in Winnipeg (province of Manitoba).