 Health Care |
Health Care |
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FDA changes blood donation rules for gay, bisexual men |
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday loosened restrictions on blood donations by men who have sex with men, a change that could ease blood shortages by allowing more people to donate. |
The agency said it will recommend a series of "individual risk-based questions" that will be the same for every donor, regardless of sexual orientation, sex or gender. Gay and bisexual men in monogamous relationships will be allowed to donate blood.
The FDA said blood donation establishments "may now implement" the new policy, but it is unclear how long it will take for donation centers to change their procedures. The agency did not set a deadline.
"The FDA has worked diligently to evaluate our policies and ensure we had the scientific evidence to support individual risk assessment for donor eligibility while maintaining appropriate safeguards to protect recipients of blood products," said Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Under current FDA guidelines for donating blood, men who have sex with men are permitted to donate blood after a three-month deferral period in which they abstain from sexual encounters with men. This change was made in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, after the previous guidance had mandated a 12-month deferral period.
The new policy eliminates time-based restrictions in favor of what officials characterized as a more inclusive policy based on scientific evidence, while also maintaining the safety of the blood supply.
"The implementation of these recommendations will represent a significant milestone for the agency and the LGBTQI+ community," Marks said.
The move was praised by advocacy groups who had been pushing the FDA for decades to make a change.
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Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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A key Senate panel advanced a package of bipartisan bills aimed at improving generic drug competition and reforming the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee quickly advanced several generic drug bills. The PBM reform bill advanced by a vote of 18 to 3, with Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) voting against … |
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| Thursday marks the formal end of the federal government’s COVID-19 public health emergency, three years after it was first declared. The novel coronavirus started a pandemic that killed 1.1 million Americans and sickened millions more. Today, deaths and hospitalizations are at record lows, and much of the public has moved on. But the virus is still killing hundreds of people a day, and public health experts are cautioning … |
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Two cases of drug-resistant ringworm infections were reported in New York City, the first such cases in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Thursday. The highly contagious infection was present in two patients in the city who did not improve with typical treatments. One, a 28-year-old woman, developed a rash in the summer of 2021 across much of her body. Another, a 47-year-old woman, developed a rash across … |
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill: |
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Mpox no longer a global emergency, WHO says |
LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization said Thursday that the global outbreak of mpox, which initially baffled experts when the smallpox-related disease spread to more than 100 countries last year, is no longer an international emergency, after a dramatic drop in cases in recent months. Last July, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom … | |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- As conservative states target trans rights, a Florida teen flees for a better life (NPR)
- Missouri Republican weighing party switch after vote to restrict trans health care (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
- COVID-19 vaccines, testing and treatment drugs remain free in Arizona (KNAU)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- 'I don't see this as an end to the pandemic': Ashish Jha on the end of Covid public health emergency (Stat)
- Bacteria linked to tainted baby formula may become nationally reportable (The Washington Post)
- An abortion pill distributor reportedly won't supply the drug to pharmacies in 31 states. House Democrats want answers (The 19th News)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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As a wit once observed: Politicians are like diapers. They both need to be changed often. And for the same reason. Read more |
| The FBI declined to immediately provide congressional Republicans with a document the lawmakers say outlines an “alleged criminal scheme” … Read more |
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