(a) Processing method. The processing method shall be one that has been shown to yield consistently a product that is capable of detecting, throughout the dating period, alloantibodies corresponding to all required blood group antigens specified in the labeling as present.

(b) Products prepared from pooled red blood cells. If the product is recommended for the detection of unexpected antibodies, the pool shall be prepared by combining equal amounts of cells from no more than two donors. Umbilical cord cells are exempt from this requirement. Pooled cells shall not be recommended for pretransfusion tests, done in lieu of a major crossmatch, to detect unexpected antibodies in patients' samples.

(c) Absence of antibodies. Each lot of final product shall be free of demonstrable antibodies, including anti-A and anti-B, unless the package insert and container lable include instructions to wash the cells before use. The final product shall also be direct antiglobulin test negative when tested with polyspecific anti-human globulin.

(d) Final container. The final containers used for each lot of product shall be clean and shall permit observation of the contents for hemolysis or a change in color. The final container label, container cap, and dropper bulb of a Reagent Red Blood Cell product may be color-coded with a visual match to a specific color approved by the Director, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

(e) Date of manufacture. The date of manufacture of the product shall be the date that the blood is withdrawn from the donor or obtained from umbilical cords. The period during which the reagent red blood cell source material is kept by the manufacturer in storage in a frozen state at −65 °C or colder is excluded from the dating period. If the product consists of red blood cells from two or more donors, the date of manufacture of the final product shall be the date of withdrawal of blood from the donor of the oldest constituent blood. When a product consists of more than one container, e.g., cell panel, the date of manufacture of each container of the product shall be the earliest date that blood was withdrawn from a donor for any container of the product.

(f) Retention samples. Retention samples shall be maintained as required by § 600.13 of this chapter, except that samples must be retained only throughout the dating period of the product.