“The ADVANCE study is a first step in providing data that will help the FDA determine if a donor history questionnaire based on individual risk would be as effective as time-based deferral, in reducing the risk of HIV in the blood supply,” said Brian Custer, Ph.D., vice president of Research and Scientific Programs with Vitalant Research Institute. The questions assess risk factors that could indicate possible infection with a transfusion transmissible infection, including HIV.
CAN GAY MEN DONATE BLOOD IN THE UNITED STATES SERIES
The donor history questionnaire consists of a series of questions that all potential blood donors answer before donating. For this to be possible, a change would need to be made to the donor history questionnaire.
The purpose of the new study is a first step in determining whether a different donor deferral can be used at blood centers nationwide while maintaining the safety of the blood supply. The FDA adopted the three-month deferral policy in April 2020. FDA recommends that a man who has had sex with another man be deferred from donating blood for three months following the most recent sexual contact with another man. The study is focused on evaluating alternatives to the FDA’s blood donor deferral policy for men who have sex with men (MSM). Participants who are 18 to 39 years old are needed in eight communities as the study ramps up. Vitalant, OneBlood, and the American Red Cross, together representing approximately 60% of the blood supply in the United States, are conducting the ADVANCE study, which stands for A ssessing Donor Variability And New Concepts in Eligibility. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that could potentially lead to changes to blood donor eligibility for men who have sex with men. Three of the nation’s largest blood centers have launched a pilot study through a contract funded by the U.S.