Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the lifting of restrictions on plasma donations by men who have sex with men as debate over the nation's long-standing 'gay blood ban' continues.
The TGA this week green-lighted a submission by the Australian Red Cross Lifeblood service, which called for an end to sexual activity rules on plasma donations. Lifeblood is funded by Australian governments and collects and provides blood, plasma, breast milk, transplantation and biological products.
Under the current rules, men who have had sex with men within the past three months must remain celibate for another three months before donating blood or plasma.
Despite the TGA's backing, the sexual activity rules for plasma donations remain in force, with approval still needed by "governments who have legal responsibility for the donor questionnaire in their jurisdictions, and CSL Behring, which processes plasma into medication for patients", Lifeblood said in a statement on Tuesday.
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If agreed to, the world-first ‘plasma pathway’ approved by the TGA would allow "anyone to donate plasma regardless of their sexual activity if they meet the other donor eligibility rules", Lifeblood said.
The TGA's 'plasma pathway' ruling comes as debate rages over Australia's so-called 'gay blood ban', which came into force in the 1980s in response to the rise of HIV-AIDS.
Advocacy group Let Us Give has called for the scrapping of the celibacy requirements for both blood and plasma donations.
"There is a large group of potential donors who are blocked from giving. Gay men, bisexual men, transgender women and some non-binary people who have sex with men, are expected to abstain from sex for three months before giving blood because of outdated fears about HIV infection," the group says on its website.
"If those of us who are safe to give are allowed to, there will be an extra 25,000 litres of blood available for Australians in need."
Earlier this month, the United States' Food and Drug Administration announced it would ease its restrictions on blood donations for men who have sex with men after previous screening rules were labelled "homophobic".
