Update on sexual activity blood donation rules

We are pleased that our submission to remove sexual activity rules for plasma donation has been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

This approval must still be agreed to by governments who have legal responsibility for the donor questionnaire in their jurisdictions, and CSL Behring, which processes plasma into medication for patients.

The ‘plasma pathway’ that has been approved by the TGA, would if agreed to by CSL Behring and governments:

• Allow anyone to donate plasma regardless of their sexual activity if they meet the other donor eligibility rules. This means someone with a new sexual partner could donate plasma without any wait period at all.
• Enable someone on PrEP¹  to donate plasma, while maintaining the safety of the blood supply.
• Enable us to remove questions about sexual activity from the plasma donor questionnaire.

Australia would be the first country in the world to implement the plasma pathway.

Australia has one of the safest blood systems in the world and the safety of our blood and plasma products for patients will always be our top priority.

Decisions about blood safety rules are made by the TGA and Australian governments following consideration of the information, data and evidence submitted by Lifeblood.

For more information, see https://www.lifeblood.com.au/blood/eligibility/sexual-activity

^{1 PrEP is an acronym that stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis. It involves HIV negative people taking antiretroviral medication to protect them and prevent HIV infection. Currently, people cannot donate whole blood for 12 months after they last took PrEP, or 3 months for plasma.}