What changes have been made to FDA's recommendations? In November 2014, these results were presented to the HHS Advisory Committee for Blood and Tissue Safety and Availability (the committee that succeeded the ACBSA), which, after considering the results, recommended that a shorter deferral period was appropriate. Once the studies were completed in 2014, the FDA along with other Public Health Service agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources and Services Administration, National Institutes of Health, and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, assessed the results of the studies. In 2010, the ACBSA found that the deferral policy for men who have had sex with other men (MSM) was suboptimal and it recommended that studies be conducted to better inform a potential policy change. These reviews have been undertaken publicly at meetings of the FDA Blood Products Advisory Committee and the HHS Advisory Committee for Blood Safety and Availability (ACBSA). The FDA has revisited its donor deferral recommendations to reduce the risk of transmitting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) several times over the past 10 years. Questions and Answers for Potential Blood Donors and Blood Recipients
