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Two-week direct-acting antiviral prophylaxis prevents hep C after kidney transplant

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By Elana Gotkine

Two-week direct-acting antiviral (DAA) prophylaxis prevents hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in individuals without HCV viremia who received kidney transplant (KT) from donors with HCV viremia (HCV D+/R−), according to a study published online Nov. 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Niraj M. Desai, M.D., from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues examined the safety and efficacy of two-week DAA prophylaxis for HCV D+/R− KT in a small uncontrolled trial involving 10 patients. Read the article in Medical Xpress.

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Kidney transplantation turns back the clock on renal aging

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By Tarun Sai Lomte

In a recent study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers observe that kidney transplantation (KT) mitigates the effects of renal aging.

Treating chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an age-related disease and exhibits an accelerated aging phenotype. The reduced clearance of uremic toxins during CKD results in the accumulation of toxic solutes that contribute to endothelial dysfunction, chronic inflammatory burden, and increased oxidative stress. Read the full article in News Medical Life Sciences.

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Racial gaps persist in kidney transplantation, particularly among younger patients

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By Shawn M. Carter

Evident racial gaps in transplant waitlist placement between Black and white patients exist, particularly among younger individuals with kidney failure, new data suggests.

“Racial disparities exist at all steps of the kidney transplant process, including waitlisting,” Jade Buford, MPH, of the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, and lead researcher, told Healio. “The purpose of this study was to examine whether racial disparities in kidney transplant waitlisting vary by age of the patient with kidney failure.” Read the full story in Healio.

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New Antiviral Option for CMV Prophylaxis After Kidney Transplant

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— Letermovir proved noninferior to standard of care in clinical trial

By Jeff Minerd

Letermovir (Prevymis) proved noninferior to valganciclovir (Valcyte), the standard of care, in a clinical trial of cytomegalovirus (CMV) prophylaxis in high-risk kidney transplant patients, researchers reported.

In a phase III trialopens in a new tab or window of 589 patients randomized 1:1 to receive either drug for up to 200 days post-transplant, the prevalence of CMV disease at 1 year was not significantly different in the letermovir group versus the valganciclovir group (10.4% vs 11.8%, adjusted difference -1.4%, 95% CI -6.5% to 3.8%), reported Ajit Limaye, MD, of the University of Washington Medicine in Seattle, and colleagues.
Read the full article in MedPage Today.

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Transplant Centers Often Skip High-Priority Candidates for Kidney Placement

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By Natasha Persaud

Transplant centers with discretion over kidney placement often skip candidates with the highest priority on the kidney transplant waiting list in favor of lower-ranked candidates, a new study finds.

“This introduces a subjective element into an otherwise objective allocation system with potential negative consequences for skipped candidates,” according to Sumit Mohan, MD, MPH, of Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Medical Center in New York, New York, and colleagues. Read the full article in Renal & Urology News.

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Age Disparities Documented in Access to First and Second Kidney Transplants

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By Natasha Persaud

Despite growing access to kidney transplantation, adults older than 65 years are still less likely than younger patients to be waitlisted and receive a first or second kidney, investigators reported at the 2023 American Transplant Congress in San Diego, California.

Using 1995-2018 data from the US Renal Data System, investigators identified 2,495,031 adult patients on dialysis seeking a first kidney transplant and 110,338 adult recipients seeking a second kidney transplant after their initial graft failed.
Read more in Renal & Urology News.

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Donated kidneys from deceased COVID-19 patients are safe to transplant

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Study finds that such organs don’t transmit virus that causes COVID-19

By Jim Dryden

Kidneys from organ donors who were diagnosed with COVID-19 are safe to transplant and don’t transmit the virus to people who receive those organs, according to a new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Of the many thousands of kidneys transplanted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been no reported infections after transplant surgery related to kidneys donated by people who died and had tested positive for the virus. Most donors died of causes other than COVID-19, but even in those who had tested positive for the virus within a week of their deaths, there was no effect on the success of the transplants. Read more from the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis.

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Kidneys From COVID-19-Positive Donors Safe for Transplant

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By Nancy A. Melville
Patients receiving kidneys transplanted from donors with either resolved or active COVID-19 show no greater risk of poor outcomes or death, shows new research, which also indicates that the reluctance to use those kidneys early in the pandemic appears to be waning.

“This cohort study found that the likelihood of nonuse of COVID-19–positive donor kidneys decreased over time and, for kidneys procured in 2023, donor COVID-19 positivity was no longer associated with higher odds of nonuse,” write the authors in their study, published today in JAMA Network Open.
Read more in Medscape.

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