FDA Updated Blood Donor Deferral Policy

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has just updated its blood donor deferral policy, recommending that men who have sex with men (MSM) be deferred only if they have had sexual contact with another man within the past 12 months.  The previous policy deferred MSM indefinitely.    The updated policy “is supported by the best available scientific evidence,” and better aligns “the deferral period for MSM with the deferral period for other men and women at increased risk for HIV infection – such as those who had a recent blood transfusion or those who have been accidentally exposed to the blood of another individual.”  Each unit of donated blood is still required to be tested (21 C.F.R. 610.40) for infectious diseases, including Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Human T-Lymphotropic Virus, Hepatitis B and C Viruses, and Syphilis (Treponema pallidum).  The updated blood donor deferral policy follows the November 2014 recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability, and the 5/15/15 FDA announcement of proposed revisions to the policy (80 Fed. Reg. 27973).  For additional information, see the FDA Revised Recommendations for Reducing the Risk of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Transmission by Blood and Blood Products – Questions and Answers page.