Advocates press N.S. to ban private plasma companies
A national advocacy group appealed to the Nova Scotia government Tuesday to ban private, for-profit plasma companies from the province, saying the model discourages voluntary donations and compromises safety.
Kat Lanteigne of BloodWatch.org met with staff from the office of provincial Health Minister Randy Delorey to press for legislation prohibiting such companies from operating in the province.
She said that unless the Nova Scotia government adopts such a law, it would not be able to stop a company like Canadian Plasma Resources, which has an operating licence from Health Canada.
Lanteigne, who was kicking off a crosscountry tour in Halifax to promote her message, said Nova Scotia and British Columbia are thought to be the next possible locations for collection centres for the company, a pharmaceutical manufacturer that collects plasma from donors and uses it for therapies to treat a variety of health conditions.
“We are trying to compel the governments in both provinces to join Ontario, Alberta and Quebec who all have a ban in place, to pass this law in order to protect the blood supply in Nova Scotia,” she said ahead of her meeting, arguing that the for-profit model reduces voluntary donors.
“They literally take donors out of the public system, so you lose access to donors and you create a competitive model ... and safety on all sides is an issue.”
Delorey said the province is aware of concerns voiced by groups such as Blood-Watch. He said he has also discussed concerns with the head of the Nova Scotia Nurses Union, Janet Hazelton.
However, Delorey said the province hasn’t taken a position to date on whether or not to ban private plasma companies.