Senate Democrats Ask FDA for Update on MSM Blood Donation Deferral Policy

A group of 26 Senate Democrats recently called on Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, to provide an update on FDA’s efforts to re-evaluate its current time-based blood donation deferral period for men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM in the United States are currently eligible to donate blood 3 months after their most recent sexual contact with another man if they meet all other eligibility criteria.

In the letter, the group – led by Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) – stated that FDA’s current policy decreases the eligible donor base and deprives patients of needed blood. The Senators also emphasized that the current policy unnecessarily stigmatizes and harms the LGBTQ+ community.

Additionally, the Senators reiterated their support for individual risk assessment and the ADVANCE Study, which is evaluating alternatives to the current donor eligibility process. “The broad consensus among the medical community indicates that the current scientific evidence does not support these discriminatory restrictions and that a policy focused on individual risk assessment rather than an effective ban on gay and bisexual men would be far more appropriate,” the senators said.