Press Announcements > Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., on efforts to promote and foster blood pathogen reduction technologies

Press Announcements > Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., on efforts to promote and foster blood pathogen reduction technologies

Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., and Director of FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., on efforts to promote and foster blood pathogen reduction technologies

Blood products are critical to public health. They offer potentially life-saving benefits for a variety of acute and chronic conditions ranging from the treatment of trauma victims to the supportive care of individuals receiving chemotherapy for cancer. They also facilitate important modern surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, hip replacement, and liver transplantation.  Ensuring the safety of blood products is one of our highest priorities. This owes not only to the important role that they play in medical care, but also to their unique risks. Blood products can be susceptible to contamination by both existing and emerging pathogens. In cases where the pathogens aren’t readily identified, there’s a risk that many people receiving blood products could be exposed to an emerging pathogen even before the danger is identified.