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Chris Hannay: Rising Demand for Immunoglobulin Driving Plasma Industry Growth in Canada
Chris Hannay/LinkedIn
Mar 27, 2026, 16:18

Chris Hannay: Rising Demand for Immunoglobulin Driving Plasma Industry Growth in Canada

Chris Hannay, Health and Business Reporter at The Globe and Mail, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“I’ve written a few stories over the years about commercial plasma collectors coming to Canada.

But there are some numbers in the industry that I think are pretty surprising.

Here are a few.

  • $1-billion: The amount Canadian Blood Services spent on plasma protein and related products last year. (This is almost two-thirds of its budget.)
  • 1%: The amount of plasma collected by Canadian Blood Services that was used for transfusion. (The rest was sent to commercial partners to be processed into other pharmaceutical products, especially immunoglobulin.)
  • 3: Canada is the third-highest-per-capita user of immunoglobulin in the world.
  • 50%: How much demand for immunoglobulin is expected to grow over the next five years, according to Canadian Blood Services.

This huge demand for and spending on immunoglobulin has been underpinning the growth of commercial plasma collection and manufacturing in Canada in recent years.

I explain it all in a new story today that is a bit heavier than usual on numbers and charts:

Of course, whether things can continue to grow as they have is another question. I also talk to some people (Choosing Wisely Canada) working on how to use these resources most appropriately.

Thanks to Peter Jaworski (who recently launched a research group for plasma at Georgetown University) for tracking down some of the data.”

Stay updated with Hemostasis Today.

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