Briefing Summary: US FDA Posts Advisory Committee Materials About Ways to Reduce the Transmission Risk of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy – JUN 1, 2015 (TSEAC)
The US FDA has posted details, including FDA Briefing Materials, for the Monday, June 1, 2015 Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee (TSEAC) meeting. The Committee will hear update presentations on the following topics: 1) The variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) situation worldwide and an update on the United Kingdom's Transfusion Medicine Epidemiological Review; 2) vCJD in the United States; and 3) the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) situation worldwide and the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA’s) regulatory approaches to reduce the risk of food-borne exposure of BSE. Following the update presentations, the Committee will hear presentations from FDA on current measures to reduce risk of vCJD from transfusion in the U.S., and a mathematical model of the risk reduction achievable under the current and alternative geographically based donor deferral policies when implemented in conjunction with the use of leukocyte reduction of blood components. The Committee will then discuss FDA's geographically based donor deferral policies and other strategies, including leukocyte reduction of blood components, to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted vCJD. FDA will seek advice from the Committee in developing future recommendations to reduce this risk.