Health Canada mulls request to release records of woman who died following plasma donation

Health Canada has said it is reviewing a request to release the medical records of a 22-year-old student who died last fall after donating plasma at a Grifols clinic in Winnipeg.

The grieving family of Rodiyat Alabede has questioned the results of an investigation by the federal department, which closed its probe into her death after an autopsy concluded she died of a pre-existing heart condition.

Family spokeswoman and blood-safety advocate Kat Lanteigne held a news conference Wednesday to say the family has called upon the Health Canada to release its investigative records into Alabede’s death.

In a statement Friday, the federal department confirmed it is reviewing the request.

“Health Canada understands the interest in seeing its compliance verification findings, and its medical summary of the October 2025 adverse event but it does not publicly post full inspection or compliance verification reports and medical summaries because they contain personal or sensitive information,” the statement said.

The government stressed safety issues related to plasma donation are extremely rare: “Plasma-derived products are essential for the treatment of many serious and life-threatening conditions, and strong protections for both donors and recipients is a priority for Canada.”

“Plasma-derived products are essential for the treatment of many serious and life-threatening conditions, and strong protections for both donors and recipients is a priority for Canada.”

An autopsy revealed Alabede had an enlarged heart. Her family said they believes she was unaware of that. Plasma donation could have caused extreme stress to the vital organ, owing to her condition, Lanteigne said.

Lanteigne accused Health Canada, which regulates plasma collection, and Manitoba’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which conducted the autopsy, of failing to conduct full investigations after Alabede died on Oct. 25, 2025.

She said reports prepared by the departments contained significant discrepancies, including the amount of plasma collected from Alabede, who went into cardiac arrest at a Grifols clinic on Taylor Avenue.

A Health Canada summary, dated March 27, listed an amount almost three times the amount cited on the autopsy report, Lanteigne said.

The partially redacted summary, obtained by the Free Press, said Alabede “collapsed” about 45 minutes into plasmapheresis, after 586 millilitres of a planned 933 ml had been collected.

Abalede’s death was “temporally coincident” with plasma donation, but not caused by “donation activities,” the summary said.

Alabede, who was studying social work after moving to Canada from Nigeria, was pronounced dead shortly after she was taken to St. Boniface Hospital from the clinic.

It was unclear if it was the first time she had donated plasma.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca