New Plasma Donor Eligibility Process Takes Effect in Australia

The Australian Red Cross Lifeblood officially implemented the organization’s “Plasma Pathway” on Monday, lifting most sexual activity-related donor deferral criteria for plasma intended for fractionation.

The updated eligibility criteria allow many plasma donors that were previously deferred from donation, such as sex workers and men who have sex with men (MSM), to donate plasma for fractionation without a deferral period if they meet all other eligibility criteria. The change also makes Australia the first country to permit individuals to donate plasma while taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.

Lifeblood estimates that approximately 625,000 additional Australians may become eligible to donate following the change, potentially resulting in 95,000 more plasma donations each year.

In addition, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration recently approved Lifeblood’s plan to replace gender-based sexual activity criteria for blood donation with an individual donor assessment (IDA) approach, asking all donors the same risk criteria questions. Lifeblood expects to implement IDA for blood donation in 2026.