The country’s blood supply is at its lowest point in 10 years, and the American Red Cross declared its first national blood crisis earlier this month. It’s time for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do what AMA and others have. Prompted over the years: Remove discriminatory bans that prevent many gay and bisexual men from becoming blood donors.
The current ban requires gay or bisexual men to refrain from having sex for at least three months before donating blood. This policy was enacted in April 2020, and the FDA has postponed the postponement period from 1 year to 90 days in response to the drastic decrease in blood donations as the COVID-19 pandemic took root and thousands of blood donations were stopped. It was shortened to.
The current three-month postponement period will select and ban blood donors based on their unique attributes rather than the risk factors presented by them. For example, a man who has had sex with another man three months before blood donation cannot be a donor, but a man or woman who has unprotected sex with multiple partners of the opposite sex during the same period will still be eligible. I have.
The roots of restrictions on gay and bisexual blood donors date back to the HIV / AIDS crisis of the 1980s. In 1985, the FDA established a Lifelong Ban on Donations (MSM) by men who have sex with men. This was valid until 2015, when the one-year postponement came into effect. In shortening that period to 90 days in 2020, officials said they expect the changes to continue after the pandemic is over.
It was a welcome change, but the fact remains that further changes are needed, including the removal of all category restrictions on MSM blood donations. Lifelong bans were imposed at a time when HIV was not well understood, and even if blood screening techniques improved dramatically, it lasted for decades. Today, all units of donated blood are rigorously tested to detect evidence of HIV, syphilis, hepatitis, West Nile virus, or other blood infections.
Equally evaluate all donors
The problem is that all potential blood donors need to be evaluated equally, based on individual risk factors, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. The FDA’s Biological Evaluation and Research Center, which develops and regulates blood and blood product collection standards, has already set the course by ensuring that blood donation standards apply fairly to all segments of our company. We need to go further. Population including LGBTQ + community based on the latest scientific evidence.
The American Red Cross, which supplies an estimated 40% of the domestic supply of blood and blood products, has expressed its belief that blood donor eligibility should not be based on sexual orientation and is working to achieve that goal. is. One effort that may accelerate that achievement is an ongoing ADVANCE study of new concepts of donor volatility and eligibility.
This important study modifies the donor history questionnaire so that research-informed questions that better determine an individual’s risk can help reduce the risk of HIV during blood donation, as well as the existing 90-day postponement. Limits that may help shape FDA donor eligibility requirements by determining whether they are relevant. Results should be available later this year.
The AMA policy also supports the use of reasonable science-based deferral periods for donations from human organizations. FDA policy requires a five-year postponement period if MSM intends to donate cell and tissue-based products such as human cells, tissues, and keratin. Change the organization delivery policy to provide the FDA with the same 90-day postponement period that applies to blood donations by MSM, and adopt a donor’s individual risk assessment using the ADVANCE study or similar studies. I requested.
In the meantime, as a gallon donor myself, I highly recommend visiting the American Red Cross website and finding a blood donation site or blood donation near you to meet your urgent needs for blood donation. Blood cannot be produced or stockpiled, and proper supply depends solely on the goodwill of the donor. The COVID-19 pandemic casts an unpleasant spotlight on many of the long-standing discriminatory policies that exist within our healthcare system, giving us all a new responsibility to work swiftly to fix them. I imposed.
