First clinical trial of HCV-infected kidney transplants

Editor's Note

Researchers at Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, are conducting a clinical trial to test the effect of administering antiviral therapy to organ recipients after being transplanted with kidneys infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

The first participant received a kidney transplant in July, and after being treated with Zepatier (a recently approved oral medication to eradicate HCV), her physicians announced on September 13 that she has no evidence of the virus in her blood.

The study is enrolling patients between 40 and 65 years of age, with Blood types A, B, or O, who do not have hepatitis C and are receiving chronic dialysis.

If the treatment proves effective in the long term, at least 500 more kidney’s could become available for transplantation each year, the researchers say.

Patients who need a kidney transplant may have new hope, through an innovative Penn Medicine clinical trial using kidneys from deceased donors who had the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).