HIVMA Applauds FDA’s New Blood Donor Guidelines

The HIV Medicine Association welcomes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new blood donor deferrals guidance that better reflects the latest advances in blood testing technology and scientific knowledge of HIV transmission risk.

For nearly two decades, HIVMA has been calling on the FDA to move to deferrals based on individual risk assessment rather than a broad exclusion of an entire community.  This is an important step towards ending the long-standing discriminatory ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men and still ensures the safety of our nation’s blood supply.

HIVMA looks forward to providing input on the proposed new policy and supporting its implementation.

--Michelle S. Cespedes, MD, MS, Chair, HIVMA

About the HIV Medicine Association
The HIV Medicine Association is the professional home for more than 5,000 physicians, scientists and other health care professionals dedicated to the field of HIV/AIDS. HIVMA is a community of health care professionals who advance a comprehensive and humane response to the HIV pandemic, informed by science and social justice. HIVMA is part of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. For more information, visit www.hivma.org.