HIV+Hep in the News

“This marks a monumental shift and ends a long and painful era of blanket discrimination against gay men,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, a patient-advocacy group. The new rules would continue to bar blood donations from people who have tested positive for HIV or are taking HIV medication, or who have exchanged money for sex or have a history of drug use. Blood donation centers would still be required to test all blood for HIV and other infectious diseases.

The FDA is planning to ease rules that for decades have barred or discouraged men who have sex with men (MSM) from donating blood, due to concerns over HIV transmission.

Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, told the Journal that the newest change in the FDA’s guidelines “marks a monumental shift and ends a long and painful era of blanket discrimination against gay men.” The FDA’s updated guidelines will continue to bar those who have tested positive for HIV and those who are taking HIV medication from donating blood, and blood donation centers must test all blood for HIV and other diseases.