Advocacy group presses N.S. government to ban private plasma companies
HALIFAX — 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 cross-country 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.