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The FDA sets requirements and procedures for U.S.

The FDA noted that the medications, known as PrEP, can delay the detection of the virus in screening tests. Those taking pills to prevent HIV through sexual contact will also still be barred, until three months after their last dose. Medical societies including the American Medical Association have also said such exclusions are unnecessary given advances in blood testing.Īnyone who has ever tested positive for HIV will continue to be ineligible to donate blood. Gay rights groups have long opposed blanket restrictions on who can give blood, saying they discriminate. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s center for biological therapies, said in a statement. “The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community,” Dr. eases blood donation limits for gay men due to shortage It’s the latest move by the FDA to broaden donor eligibility, with the potential to boost donations. The FDA said the new policy reflects the latest scientific evidence and is in line with rules in the U.K. Potential donors who report having anal sex with new partners in the last three months will be barred from giving until a later date. Instead, all potential donors - regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender - will be screened with a new questionnaire that evaluates their individual risks for HIV based on sexual behavior, recent partners and other factors. READ MORE: After years of protests, FDA makes blood donations easier for men who have sex with men The updated guidelines do away with a requirement that men who have sex with men abstain from sex for three months prior to giving blood. The agency announced plans for the change in January and said this week the new approach can now be implemented by blood banks. The Food and Drug Administration guidelines ease decades-old restrictions designed to protect the blood supply from HIV. without abstaining from sex, under a federal policy finalized Thursday by health regulators. In 2020, ABC News broke the story that several major blood donation organizations - including the American Red Cross, Vitalant, and OneBlood - announced that they are working together to study and provide data to the FDA to determine if eligibility based on an individual’s risk can replace the current time-based deferral system while maintaining the safety of the blood supply.WASHINGTON (AP) - Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships can donate blood in the U.S. Italy, Israel, and several other countries have similar requirements.

Gay and bisexual men undergo individual risk assessments instead of time-based bans in countries around the world, recently including Greece and France, according to international reports. Restrictions on blood donations from gay and bisexual men, who are considered to be at high risk for HIV or AIDS transmission, date back to the 1980s. In 2015, the guidance changed from a lifetime ban to a 12-month deferral, and the FDA determines the guidance used by all U.S. "Just like other individuals throughout the country, many people have sex on a regular basis, including with partners and spouses," said Sarah Warbelow, the legal director at the LGBTQ advocacy organization the Human Rights Campaign.Īndrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

Some advocates, including the Human Rights Campaign, say the FDA is moving too slowly on removing the restriction, saying that it's an outright ban on the ability of people, particularly gay and bisexual men, to donate blood. The agency changed the deferral period from 12 months to three months in November 2020 as blood donations fell and hospitals faced critical shortages during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration bars people who have had sex with gay or bisexual men from donating blood for three months following the most recent sexual contact because of fears of HIV in the blood supply. Despite this urgent need for donations, people who have sex with gay or bisexual men are still facing restrictions on their ability to give blood. is facing a national blood crisis, the "worst blood shortage in over a decade," the American Red Cross warns.