Five-Year Allograft Survival for Recipients of Kidney Transplants From Hepatitis C Virus Infected vs Uninfected Deceased Donors in the Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy Era

Many US deceased organ donors carry hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, which can infect recipients during transplant. Historically, recipients of HCV-infected organ transplants only had access to ineffective interferon-based antiviral regimens and have experienced elevated rates of allograft failure and death. Most HCV-infected donor organs were discarded. However, starting in 2016, the availability of direct-acting antiviral therapy enabled transplant trials of HCV-infected kidneys into HCV-uninfected recipients, with most trials reporting 100% HCV cure rates and excellent short-term allograft function.