Public-private partnership holds tremendous promise toward transforming kidney care; improving the lives of growing number of Americans suffering from disease with no cure 

WASHINGTON – 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 – praised today’s announcement of the Kidney Innovation Accelerator (KidneyX) as a remarkable achievement that is certain to transform the future of kidney care, and the lives of patients who depend on it.

“Since the Department of Health and Human Services first proposed the Kidney Accelerator project last year, the entire kidney community has been excited by the prospect of a partnership that could propel the development of much needed breakthroughs in care,” said Dr. Allen R. Nissenson, MD, FAC, chair of KCP.  “Today’s announcement of the official launch of KidneyX adds important momentum to KCP’s long-held mission of expanding research and development that can bring enhanced therapies and innovative products to the market.”

The KidneyX public-private partnership has been created to seed, incentivize and accelerate breakthroughs in kidney care – as well as provide better coordination among HHS, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to clear a path toward commercialization of products. Its developers hope it will create a sense of urgency to bring breakthrough therapies to patients and foster multidisciplinary collaboration and engagement of the investment community.

For more than a decade, KCP has advocated for greater research and coordination in order to improve care and outcomes for Americans with kidney disease. As the numbers of Americans affected has risen over the years, the need for greater investment has reached a critical level. In fact, research from the Government Accountability Office shows that although 17 percent of U.S. adults suffer from some form of kidney disease, only 1.88 percent of the NIH budget goes towards kidney disease research.

“KCP will continue our focus on encouraging research and development – both by supporting KidneyX and advocating for strong, research-focused legislation,” Nissenson added. “We’re pleased that a bill widely supported by the kidney community – the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act – would complement the work being done through KidneyX.”

The American Society of Nephrology, a longstanding member of KCP who signed the memorandum of understanding with HHS to form KidneyX, has committed $25 million toward the program.

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