It’s a medical breakthrough.
The Biden administration has announced new regulations allowing people with HIV to receive potentially life-saving kidney or liver transplants from donors who are also HIV-positive. This decision, made by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is based on solid evidence that such transplants are safe and effective. Prior to this change, these procedures were only permitted as part of research studies.
Under the new rule, clinical research and institutional review board (IRB) approvals are no longer required for kidney and liver transplants between HIV-positive donors and recipients. This policy aims to increase access to organ transplants and reduce wait times for individuals living with HIV. Carole Johnson, administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration, praised the move as a significant step forward in improving transplant availability for people with HIV.
Studies have shown that kidney transplants between HIV-positive donors and recipients have outcomes similar to those involving HIV-negative donors. HIV-positive organ transplants were first performed in South Africa in 2010, and the U.S. began allowing such procedures for research purposes in 2013. Since then, over 500 HIV-positive transplants have been carried out in the U.S.
In 2019, surgeons at Johns Hopkins University performed the world’s first kidney transplant from a living HIV-positive donor to an HIV-positive recipient. While the new rule currently applies only to kidney and liver transplants, HHS is seeking public feedback on whether similar changes should be made for other organs such as the heart, lung, and pancreas.
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