Washington, D.C. (April 6, 2020) – America’s Blood Centers and its members are working closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to collect and distribute convalescent plasma from individuals who have recovered from COVID-19. “Community blood centers are at the forefront of delivering convalescent plasma to patients in critical need. This promising investigational…
Read MoreThe U.S. blood community has joined the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority in a national effort to support the collection and distribution of convalescent plasma, a potentially life-saving treatment for critically ill COVID-19 patients. While this coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented, the U.S. blood community has a long history…
Read MoreAmerica’s Blood Centers and its members are committed to maintaining a safe and available blood supply and treating all potential donors with fairness, equality, and respect. We commend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their continued support during this unprecedented situation as our nation coordinates response efforts to COVID-19. In recognizing the need…
Read More(Washington, DC – March 12, 2020) – “We need people to start turning out in force to give blood.” That urgent call-to-action coming from Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, as fear about the coronavirus is keeping people from wanting to donate…
Read More(Washington, DC – March 10, 2020) Concerns over the coronavirus are negatively impacting the nation’s blood supply and it has blood centers around the country appealing to the public that now is the time to donate. “We are facing a national blood supply issue. As coronavirus fears intensify, blood centers around the country are experiencing…
Read MoreBethesda, Md. – As the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread in the United States, the AABB Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism is urging individuals to make and keep donation appointments and organized blood drives to ensure the continued adequacy of the blood supply. Read complete press release.
Read MoreMarch 2, 2020 America’s Blood Centers (ABC) continues its efforts to monitor and respond to the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) with the safety of the U.S. blood supply and blood donors our top priority. There is no known risk to the safety of the nation’s blood supply. Individuals are not at risk of contracting COVID-19 from…
Read MoreThe undersigned organizations support the critical work being done by the Tick-Borne Disease Working Group (TBDWG). Vector-borne diseases, including tick-borne diseases, create multifaceted and interdisciplinary public health challenges. We appreciate the TBDWG’s plans to address the risks associated with tick-borne diseases and applaud policymakers’ commitment to addressing tick-borne diseases through the recently enacted Kay Hagan…
Read MoreAmericas Blood Centers’ (ABC) is North America’s largest network of FDA-licensed, independent, non-profit community-based blood centers. Our members collect, process, and distribute over half of the blood supply in the United States. We thank the FDA and BPAC for the opportunity to present our member’s views on cold stored platelets. The use of cold stored…
Read MoreThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued the calendar year (CY) 2020 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPPS) final rule. It addresses payment to hospital outpatient departments and ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), including payment rates for blood components. Laboratory date of service (DOS) exception policy. The rule finalized the categorical exemption of…
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