A nurse fills test tubes with blood to be tested during an American Red Cross bloodmobile in Fullerton, CA on Thursday, January 20, 2022.
Paul Bersebach | Medianews Group | Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed latest guidelines that will not require gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships to abstain from sex before donating blood.
The FDA had imposed a lifetime ban on men who’ve sex with men donating blood throughout the AIDS crisis within the Eighties. The agency had eased the ban in 2015, allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood in the event that they had not had sex within the previous yr.
In response to a blood donor shortage throughout the Covid pandemic, the FDA further eased restrictions in April 2020 to permit gay and bisexual men who had not had sex up to now three months to donate.
Under the rules proposed on Friday, gay and bisexual men who’re in monogamous relationships can be allowed to donate blood. But individuals, no matter gender or sexual orientation, who’ve recently had anal sex with a latest or multiple partners would should wait three months before donating.
“Maintaining a secure and adequate supply of blood and blood products within the U.S. is paramount for the FDA, and this proposal for a person risk assessment, no matter gender or sexual orientation, will enable us to proceed using the most effective science to achieve this,” said FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf on Friday. The Washington Post reported the news earlier.
The American Medical Association had criticized the FDA’s restrictions on gay men donating as discriminatory.
“At issue is the necessity to judge all potential blood donors on an equal basis based on their individual risk aspects and without regard to their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Dr. Gerald Harmon with the AMA in January of 2022.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest organization that advocates for LGBTQ rights, said the FDA proposal is a step in the fitting direction, but more must be done to to remove restrictions.
“We urge the Biden administration to prioritize removing remaining barriers and ask the FDA to maneuver expeditiously while ensuring the protection of the blood supply and a blood donation policy in-line with the science,” said HRC President Kelley Robinson in a press release.
People who find themselves taking oral medications to forestall HIV infection wouldn’t be allowed to donate blood for the three months following their most up-to-date dose. Those taking injections to forestall HIV wouldn’t be allowed to donate blood for 2 years following their most up-to-date injection.
These medications, called pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, may end up in false negatives on HIV tests, in response to the FDA.
Under the proposed FDA policy, anyone who has tested positive for HIV or taken medicine to treat an HIV infection can be banned from donating blood. Individuals who have engaged in sex work or used illicit intravenous drugs recently would should wait three months to donate.
Blood banks would still be required to check all donations for HIV as well hepatitis C and B, in response to FDA.
Dr. Peter Marks, a senior FDA official, said the agency is evaluating the science to extend the variety of people who find themselves eligible to donate blood while maintaining safeguards that ensure the provision is secure for recipients.
“We are going to proceed to follow the most effective available scientific evidence to keep up an adequate supply of blood and minimize the chance of transmitting infectious diseases and are committed to finalizing this draft guidance as quickly as possible,” Marks said on Friday.