A Laboratory Coordinator who works on the East Coast of the USA (and who also recruits for her hospital's blood drives) reports than in 1993 she took insulin for gestational diabetes. She is fairly certain that the insulin was not bovine-based, but the pharmacy from which she obtained the insulin has been out of business for 6 years, and records proving the source of the insulin are not available. Because of the fear if vCJD, she has been deferred from donating blood at her community blood center. She is group O Rh positive and except for the vCJD concerns, she is otherwise qualified and would like to donate again. Her previous donation was 10 years ago. Recently she called the regional blood center and was told that unless she can ascertain whether the insulin was bovine or porcine, a donation cannot be permitted. If it is determined that the insulin is porcine, a donation can be approved. If the insulin is bovine, the insulin must have been manufactured in the US. Since she cannot get this information from the pharmacy, she had her medical records reviewed, which showed an order for insulin, without specifying bovine or porcine. Thus, she is at a dead end and concludes: "Therefore a perfectly healthy and willing O Pos is deferred indefinitely. Is seems a shame, for I'm sure there are others in my predicament. I guess I'll stick to recruiting..." She wonders what other centers are doing about frustrated donors like her.

The following responses have been received.

ADDENDA Sept. 8, 2004

1. A diabetic in Northern California reports that if the East Coast laboratory coordinator knows the name of the insulin she used, it should not be hard to determine the source of the drug. If she doesn't remember the name of the insulin that was prescribed for her use, then it should be in her medical records. The Northern Californian exclaims that he" would bet donuts to dollars" that it was a recombinant insulin, i.e. either R or NPH, even though she took the drug 11 years ago. He is of the opinion that quite some time now physicians have not been prescribing either bovine or porcine derived insulins.

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Ira A. Shulman, MD
CBBS e-Network Forum Editor & Moderator