President Joe Biden's administration has approved a new rule allowing organ transplants from HIV-positive donors to HIV-positive recipients, U.S. health officials announced on Tuesday.
The decision aims to broaden the pool of available organs and reduce waiting times for all life-saving transplants, regardless of HIV status.
Previously, such procedures were restricted to research studies. With the rule set to take effect Wednesday, the policy is expected to significantly benefit those living with HIV while also improving overall organ availability for all patients.
"This rule removes unnecessary barriers to kidney and liver transplants, expanding the organ donor pool and improving outcomes for transplant recipients with HIV," said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra in a statement.
What Is HIV?
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the immune system, specifically targeting CD4 cells, which are crucial for helping the body fight infections and diseases. Without treatment, HIV can progress to the more advanced stage called AIDS, which can lead to death in only a few years.
More than 1.2 million people across the U.S. have HIV with over 30,000 new cases diagnosed every year. There is no cure for HIV, but several treatments are available that can allow patients to live a long life.
HIV is treated primarily with cART, which is a combination of medications designed to suppress the replication of HIV in the body. This therapy works by targeting different stages of the HIV life cycle, preventing the virus from multiplying and reducing its levels in the bloodstream.
The goal of cART is to reduce the viral load (the amount of HIV in the blood) to undetectable levels, allowing the immune system to recover and preventing the progression of HIV to AIDS. However, cART doesn't completely eliminate the virus from the body, and the virus creates a "latent reservoir" where it hides within the cells of the body, lying dormant.
What Does the Research Say?
The practice of the new Biden administration rule is backed by extensive research. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine monitored 198 transplant recipients for up to four years, comparing outcomes between those who received organs from HIV-positive and HIV-negative donors. Results showed similar survival rates and minimal rejection risks, affirming the safety and efficacy of the practice.
The journey toward this practice began in 2010, when South African surgeons demonstrated the feasibility of using HIV-positive donor organs.
The U.S. followed suit in 2013 by lifting its ban for research purposes. A major breakthrough occurred in 2019 when Johns Hopkins University performed the world's first kidney transplant between a living HIV-positive donor and an HIV-positive recipient.
To date, more than 500 such transplants have been conducted in the U.S., a testament to the growing acceptance and success of the procedure.
This development not only offers hope for people living with HIV but also alleviates the critical shortage of donor organs nationwide, a step hailed by experts and advocates alike as a triumph for medical progress and public health.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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