Inclusion of $10 Million in Federal Funding Will Complement $25 Million in Private Sector Investment for Kidney Disease Research and Innovation

WASHINGTON, DC – Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation’s leading kidney care multi-stakeholder coalition representing patient advocates, physician organizations, health professional groups, dialysis providers, researchers and manufacturers – today commended lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee for including $10 million in federal funding to support KidneyX, a joint public-private partnership to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney disease and kidney failure, requiring dialysis.

An estimated 30 million American adults are currently living with chronic kidney disease, which, if left untreated, can ultimately progress to kidney failure, requiring dialysis care or a kidney transplant. Furthermore, millions more individuals are at risk of developing this deadly disease and are not aware of their risk.

Last month a group of 58 lawmakers from both parties led by Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Brian Babin (R-TX), Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Larry Bucshon (R-IN) signed a letter urging their colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to support KidneyX and allocate funding for it in the Fiscal Year 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. Such funding was included in the draft unveiled this week.

“This funding for KidneyX is an important step toward addressing existing barriers to innovation in kidney care and ensuring patients have access to the most advanced and innovative treatments,” said Dr. Allen Nissenson, chair of KCP. “KCP applauds Representatives DelBene, Babin, Sewell, and Bucshon for supporting innovative approaches to kidney disease management so Americans living with kidney disease can continue to get the best care, access, and choice there is.”

KidneyX was first announced in 2018 as a joint public-private partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) to spur the development and commercialization of innovative technologies and therapeutics in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of kidney diseases. Its first prize competition, Redesign Dialysis, aims to incentivize the development of next-generation dialysis products and is about to enter Phase 2, in which participants will be asked to develop and demonstrate prototype dialysis technologies. As a true public-private partnership, the private sector has already contributed $25 million to fund the program and is committed to matching federal funding to achieve a total of $250 million over the next five years.

“KidneyX fills a critical gap in the development of new kidney disease treatments and technologies and has the potential to make a lasting difference in millions of people’s lives,” concluded Dr. Nissenson. “We are proud to see that promise continue today and thank all of our partners in the federal government, Congress, and the private sector for making this a promise a reality.”

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