Grifols expands U.S. diagnostic manufacturing with a new facility in San Diego

Barcelona, Spain, October 16, 2025 - Grifols (MCE: GRF, MCE: GRF.P NASDAQ: GRFS), a global healthcare company and leading producer of plasma-derived medicines and innovative diagnostic solutions, today announced it has started manufacturing Grifols DG Gel cards and reagent red blood cell (RRBCs) at the company’s new plant in San Diego, California, following approvals from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Production of this key technology, used in blood type testing to ensure transfusion compatibility between donors and patients, will serve the growing demand for blood typing solutions in the U.S. Each year nearly 16 million blood components¹ are transfused in this highly specialized market, which is expected to grow 6.9% by 2030, to USD 1.2 billion.²

The facility has also started production of Grifols reagent red blood cells (RRBCs) after receiving FDA licensing approval. These RRBCs are specially formulated at a concentration of 0.8% and used in Grifols’ DG Gel cards as part of blood type identification and to antibody detection, helping ensure transfusion safety in compatibility testing.

“The U.S. continues to be the primary market for our diagnostic business and therefore it is crucial that we expand and diversify our operations in this country,” said Antonio Martinez, president Grifols Diagnostic. “Adding U.S. manufacturing of the DG Gel card system product line as well as the red blood cell reagents in our new facility are important steps in being closer to our U.S. patients and donors to meet their growing transfusion medicine needs. Our San Diego campus is today one of the most important hubs for transfusion medicine in the world and one of the few dedicated exclusively to this field.”

Grifols has been expanding its manufacturing operations in the U.S. over the last decade. The company owns and operates one of the largest plasma fractionation facilities in the world in Clayton, North Carolina, where it continues to invest and increase capacity. Grifols’ U.S. manufacturing footprint also includes four California locations, including Los Angeles, Vista, Emeryville and San Diego, the last two dedicated to the company’s Diagnostic business.

High-tech plant expands Grifols’ global diagnostic capacity

The 73,541-square-foot facility, designed by Grifols Engineering, features highly automated production technologies, including a state-of-the-art quality-control laboratory, a warehouse and office space. The new facility nearly doubles the size of the campus.

With production of both DG Gel cards and RRBCs ramping up at Grifols San Diego, the campus expands its output beyond the reagents it already manufactures for the Procleix Panther System, the company’s leading blood and plasma screening platform. As a key Diagnostic hub, the site spans more than 196,000 square feet and employs over 230 professionals covering a wide range of areas that also include R&D, quality, finance, facilities and human resources.

The company’s production of DG Gel cards and RRBCs in the U.S. adds to that of its two plants in Europe (Spain and Switzerland) and Australia, that were already producing these products. This diversification can quickly address evolving customer needs wherever they may be as well as cover any necessary supply-chain contingencies.

DG Gel cards, a success story from Grifols Diagnostic

Grifols Diagnostic, a renowned global transfusion medicine leader, owns the high-quality DG Gel card technology critical in determining blood groups to ensure transfusion compatibility. It also identifies other clinical complications, such as the fetal risk in cases of Rh incompatibility in pregnant women.

Grifols DG Gel system platforms, based on column agglutination technology, is processed on the Erytra and Erytra Eflexis instrumentation, also manufactured by Grifols, to quickly and precisely generate results for blood and plasma donation centers and immunohematology laboratories.

Since launching its DG Gel cards in the U.S. more than 10 years ago, Grifols’ market share has steadily increased while also contributing to the current double-digit growth of the company’s Diagnostic business in North America.

Grifols Diagnostic Business Unit revenue grew 2.8% at constant currency in the first half of 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. The Blood Typing business is growing at a double-digit rate. Grifols Diagnostic achieved 15% growth in North America in 2024.