Lawsuit Challenging Nation’s Kidney Allocation Policy Is Dismissed
Richmond, Va.
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March 23, 2022 06:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time
A lawsuit against United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) challenging the nation’s current kidney allocation policy was dismissed on March 22 when plaintiffs withdrew their challenge, according to the District Court for the Southern District of Iowa.
This follows a ruling in November of 2021 when the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the same plaintiffs were not likely to win on the merits of the case they presented. The kidney policy went into effect in March of last year.
“The current kidney allocation policy is the result of respectful debate and discussion that included voices from across the donation and transplantation community,” said UNOS CEO Brian Shepard. “The numbers show that this policy is working as intended, and we thank our many dedicated OPTN volunteers, who donated their time to make our high-performing system even better.”
Recent data shows kidney transplants for all populations have increased following the implementation of the policy, including a 22% increase in kidney transplants nationwide. UNOS will continue to monitor key metrics of the policy's performance to ensure that it continues as expected and to identify any areas for further development.
“These numbers not only prove that the policy is increasing equity, but that the process that got us here was both effective and fair,” said UNOS Board President Matthew Cooper, M.D. “As we see the policy’s very real impact on the lives of kidney waitlist candidates and recipients, all of the patients, donor families, volunteers and others involved in developing this policy should be proud of what they have accomplished.”
About UNOS
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit, charitable organization that serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the federal government. The OPTN helps create and define organ allocation and distribution policies that make the best use of donated organs. This process involves continuously evaluating new advances and discoveries so policies can be adapted to best serve patients waiting for transplants. All transplant programs and organ procurement organizations throughout the country are OPTN members and are obligated to follow the policies the OPTN creates for allocating organs.
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