The researchers, who enrolled about 1,600 homosexual and bisexual males in eight metropolitan areas, are hoping to establish a set of screening questions that may differentiate males who usually tend to have just lately acquired H.I.V. from those that are much less prone to have just lately contracted the virus.
Individuals within the venture, often called the ADVANCE examine, answered quite a lot of questions on their current, risk-related behaviors, comparable to whether or not they had any new sexual companions or had been taking pre-exposure prophylactic medication, often called PrEP, that scale back the danger of H.I.V. an infection, stated Brian Custer, director of Vitalant Analysis Institute and principal investigator of the examine.
The individuals’ blood was additionally examined for H.I.V. and the antiretroviral medication utilized in PrEP.
The researchers have already shared an interim evaluation with the F.D.A. and may have the ultimate outcomes prepared earlier than the top of the 12 months, Dr. Custer stated. He declined to offer extra details about the preliminary findings, citing a confidentiality settlement with the F.D.A., however stated that he anticipated the outcomes to be informative for the company.
“I actually am assured that we’ve essential info for the F.D.A. to have the ability to take into account what a person, risk-based method to donor choice may appear to be,” he stated.
Susan Stramer, vice chairman for scientific affairs for the American Purple Cross, stated in a press release that the examine was meant “to make blood donation a extra inclusive course of whereas sustaining the security of the blood provide.”
“Whereas we’ve not been notified by the F.D.A. regarding coverage modifications right now, the Purple Cross seems ahead to a future during which donation eligibility shouldn’t be primarily based on sexual orientation, and extra wholesome people may give blood to assist sufferers in want,” she stated.
The present blood scarcity is tracked every day by America’s Blood Facilities, the commerce affiliation for 59 group amenities. On Wednesday, a couple of quarter of the facilities, or 16, had lower than a day’s provide available.
