Statement by Barzin Bahardoust CEO, Canadian Plasma Resources, on the introduction of the Voluntary Blood Donations Act in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta

SASKATOON, March 13, 2017 /CNW/ - Canadian Plasma Resources CEO Barzin Bahardoust expressed his disappointment that the NDP Government in Alberta has introduced legislation that prevents Canadian firms from doing business in Alberta who wish to compete with the foreign companies who supply Alberta's health care system today.

"Unless the government is going to ban the use of products made from paid American plasma donors which are in use in Alberta today, this legislation means that the NDP is preventing Canadian companies from competing with the foreign firms who supply our health care system.  We don't understand why they prefer to send Alberta's taxpayer dollars and jobs to foreign companies instead of keeping some of that investment at home.  If this legislation passes, we will not be investing in Alberta," said Barzin Bahardoust, CEO of Canadian Plasma Resources. 

Mr. Bahardoust continued: "Even under the most optimistic scenario, Canada will continue to rely on paid donors for 50% of our supply.  So the question for members of Alberta's legislature is whether or not they believe that those paid donors should forever only be American."

Background:

Today, Canada is 100 percent dependent on foreign pharmaceutical companies to supply our patients with the life-saving drugs known as plasma protein products.  These are patients with immune deficiencies, bleeding disorders and a variety of rare conditions.  Only 17 percent of the raw material used to make these drugs comes from volunteer plasma donors in Canada.  The rest comes from paid plasma donors in the United States. Our health care system spends hundreds of millions every year importing these drugs from foreign companies. Canada is the largest per capita importer of these products, and pays among the highest prices in the world. Demand is rising rapidly.  The safety of these products is strictly regulated by Health Canada.  Compensating plasma donors is necessary because donating plasma takes much longer than donating blood, and plasma donors must be frequent repeat donors.  Compensating plasma donors is the only way to ensure adequate supply at a reasonable cost.  The cost of recruiting a volunteer donor vastly exceeds the cost of recruiting a paid donor.  No country in the world meets its demand without paid donors.

Canadian Plasma Resources is a Health Canada licensed Canadian company that is investing 400 million dollars over the next three years in several provinces to build 10 plasma collection centres as well as a manufacturing facility to supply plasma protein products for the Canadian market. This investment will result in the creation of 2000 new jobs for nurses, medical technologists, administrative and marketing professionals.  Canadian Plasma Resources currently has operations in Saskatchewan and will be opening in New Brunswick pending licensure by Health Canada.  Expansion in other willing provinces will continue in the months ahead.

SOURCE Canadian Plasma Resources

Jim Pimblett at 647-966-7388 or at [email protected]