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Researchers at two universities will target diabetic patients over 60 who have more recently been placed on the waiting list for a kidney donor.
Researchers and doctors at the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Pennsylvania say older patients, who are more likely to die of something unrelated to their kidney, can benefit from the organs — even if they contract the infection.
Patients involved in the trial will receive kidneys from deceased donors with hepatitis C and 12 weeks of treatment with the drug Zepatier, which Merck is providing for free in both trials, in addition to funding other parts of the research.
With about 100,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney, the potential to help people is real. A 2015 study at the University of Pennsylvania showed that newer hepatitis C drugs have a 95 percent efficacy rate, and the currently unused organs could save as many as 400 patients per year.