Sometimes you have to review trends and watch the FDA in the media to really get an idea of how they think, react and constantly change.
On December 2nd, 2014, NPR (National Public Radio) reported that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was considering a revision on the blood donation ban that has been placed on homosexual males since the HIV discoveries of the early 1980’s. The debate had taken place the previous Tuesday.
Gay rights advocates vehemently complain that the ban is discriminatory and does not take into account sexually promiscuous heterosexuals, intravenous drug users or prostitutes. All of those parties are also at risk for HIV and not just homosexual males.
However, the FDA is an objective government agency. Its decisions are carefully considered based on decisions of scientific research and statistical evidence.
The FDA reasons that the high probability of homosexual males being infected with the HIV virus is reason enough to protect people depending on blood transfusions to survive.
And the media has been roaring awaiting their final decision. There are even action groups starting to fight for the rights of gay and bisexual men who wish to donate blood.
So how could this change in the future?
Even now, Gibraltar Laboratories, Inc. works with companies that have breakthroughs in sanitation validation and microbiological testing. Within shorter and shorter spans of times, analytical groups are capable of detecting microbiological threats in any substance, from blood to vaccines.
As these industries and technologies evolve, so do the possibilities. In this modern age, soon possibly we could live in a world where anyone can donate blood and then have it tested rapidly, on the spot for any contaminants or diseases, instead of banning entire demographics due to risk factors.
Companies controlling and regulating blood donations in America could start contracting research organizations to test the blood that they receive for microorganisms and other contaminants. This would ensure that regardless of who donated the blood, anything dangerous can be destroyed from the final product.
STD testing is already possible, but it takes time. With the large volumes of blood that blood donation services deal with, it may seem like a daunting task, but with new technology and hopefully in the future, one simple drop from an entire sample will be able to identify threats, contamination and other present possible risk factors within any blood sample.
In the future, hopefully CRO’s such as Gibraltar Laboratories, Inc. will be playing a part in bringing the world to a new era where anyone can contribute, and risk factors are more of a statistic than a guiding factor.
