FDA panel says newer HIV tests effective

By Reuters Staff

(Reuters) - Newer methods to test donated blood samples for HIV infections are effective, a panel of experts at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration concluded, in a move that could limit the ban on donations by men who have had sex with other men (MSM).

The FDA's ban, in place for about three decades, disallows donations from men who have had sex with even one man since 1977, as they are recognized to be at a higher risk of acquiring HIV.

While the FDA's Blood Products Advisory Committee on Tuesday discussed the new methods to test samples donated by MSMs for HIV, it did not make a recommendation on limiting the ban.

An advisory committee to the Department of Health and Human Services earlier in November had recommended replacing the ban with a new one that bars donations from men who have had sex with another man in the past year.

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