Australia to Expand Plasma Donor Eligibility, Announces Individual Donor Assessment

The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood recently approved major changes to its donor eligibility criteria that will expand opportunities for blood and plasma donation among members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

The ‘Plasma Pathway’

First, Lifeblood will remove most deferral periods related to sexual activity for plasma donations, effective July 14. The so-called “Plasma Pathway,” first announced in January 2024, allows gay and bisexual men, and anyone who takes Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis to prevent sexually transmitted HIV, to donate plasma without a wait period if they meet all other eligibility criteria. Extensive research and modeling have shown this change will not impact the safety of the plasma supply.

Once implemented, Lifeblood estimates that the changes could allow for 24,000 new donors and approximately 95,000 additional plasma donations each year.

Individual Donor Assessment

Lifeblood also announced that Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration approved its submission to replace gender-based sexual activity criteria with an individual donor assessment (IDA). The organization plans to implement IDA in 2026.

Under the new eligibility criteria, all blood and platelet donors will be asked the same questions about sexual activity, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Most individuals in a monogamous relationship of six months or more will be eligible to donate blood. Those with new or multiple partners may also be eligible if they have not had anal sex in the previous three months. Male donors will no longer be asked if they have had sex with another man.

While the requirement to have no more than one sexual partner is longer than in other countries that have implemented IDA, Lifeblood’s Chief Medical Officer Jo Pink, MBBS, FRACP, FRCPA, GAICD, said that the organization is committed to reviewing this criterion as additional evidence becomes available.

In Oceania, Australia joins New Zealand in expanding blood donor eligibility in 2025. In February, Medsafe—New Zealand’s medical regulatory body—approved a proposal by the New Zealand Blood Service to introduce IDA for determining donor eligibility. The new criteria will take effect in 2026.