Individuals with HIV who require a kidney or liver transplant will now have the opportunity to receive an organ from a donor with HIV, thanks to a new rule announced by U.S. health officials. This rule, effective immediately, marks a significant shift as previously such transplants were only permitted as part of research studies.
The implementation of this new rule is expected to alleviate the organ shortage for all transplant candidates, regardless of their HIV status, by expanding the pool of available organs. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra emphasized that this change eliminates unnecessary obstacles to kidney and liver transplants, ultimately enhancing outcomes for transplant recipients with HIV.
Research supporting the safety of this practice, including a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, followed 198 organ recipients for up to four years. The study compared individuals who received kidneys from HIV-positive donors to those who received organs from donors without HIV. The results showed similar high rates of overall survival and low rates of organ rejection in both groups.
The use of HIV-positive donor organs was first demonstrated as safe in individuals with HIV by surgeons in South Africa in 2010. However, it wasn't until 2013 that the U.S. government lifted the ban on this practice, allowing for research studies to commence. Initially, these studies involved deceased donors, but in 2019, a team at Johns Hopkins University conducted the world's first kidney transplant from a living donor with HIV to an HIV-positive recipient.
Since then, a total of 500 kidney and liver transplants from HIV-positive donors have been successfully performed in the United States, showcasing the feasibility and safety of this innovative approach.
