Washington: US health officials announced a new rule that allows people with HIV who need kidney or liver transplants to receive organs from HIV-positive donors. The rule, which takes effect on Wednesday, aims to reduce organ wait times for all recipients by expanding the donor pool.
“This rule removes unnecessary barriers to kidney and liver transplants, increases the organ donor pool, and improves outcomes for transplant recipients with HIV,” said US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Previously, doctors conducted such transplants only as part of research studies. Research now confirms the safety of this practice. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine tracked 198 recipients over four years. It compared outcomes between those who received kidneys from HIV-positive donors and those who received organs from HIV-negative donors. Both groups showed similar high survival rates and low rates of organ rejection.
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Surgeons in South Africa provided the first evidence in 2010 that using HIV-positive donor organs is safe for people with HIV. The United States lifted its ban in 2013, allowing research studies to explore this option. Initially, researchers focused on transplants from deceased donors. In 2019, a team at Johns Hopkins University made history by performing the first kidney transplant from a living HIV-positive donor to an HIV-positive recipient.
Since then, surgeons in the US have performed 500 kidney and liver transplants using HIV-positive donor organs. This new rule marks a significant step in improving access to life-saving transplants for people living with HIV.
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