The results of the ADVANCE study were expected in December 2021, but have been delayed due lack of participation, according to the American Red Cross. 'If the study's scientific evidence supports the use of the different eligibility questions, it could lead to further efforts to change the MSM eligibility criteria,' a spokesperson for the American Red Cross wrote in a statement to CBS News. The study will evaluate whether updating the screening questionnaire that all donors fill out to focus more on individual risk would be as effective as a blanket, time-based deferral in reducing the risk of HIV in the blood supply. The American Red Cross, along with national blood banks like Vitalant and OneBlood, are conducting the study. The study aims to enroll 2,000 men through 11 national blood banks in several participating cities. Last year, the FDA launched a study known as ADVANCE, or Assessing Donor Variability and New Concepts in Eligibility, to examine whether the three-month donor deferral period can be amended based on an individual risk assessment.
