June, 2017
AST President, Ron Gill, recently wrote an article for the 'Transplants' campaign published by MediaPlanet and distributed in USA Today.
The article highlights the challenges faced by transplant patients, as well as our upcoming
Transplant Patient Summit.
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AST Remains Concerned for Transplant Patients, Donors and Families
On June 22nd, 2017, a discussion-draft entitled the “Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017” was released by Majority Party leadership in the U.S. Senate. The American Society of Transplantation (AST), representing the majority of professionals engaged in the field of solid organ transplantation in the U.S., is concerned that the Senate discussion-draft, as currently written, may result in negative and detrimental consequences for solid organ transplant patients, donors, and their families.
Similar to the American Health...
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Preservation capabilities is identified as one of the key challenges facing biomedicine today affecting millions of people each year worldwide by constraining the ability to treat patients for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, liver failure, and other leading causes of death. Implications for global health, the success of scientific research and drug discovery, healthcare expenditures, and national defense are profound.
In the US, for every 1 patient on the heart transplant wait list who does not receive an organ in time, 10 hearts from organ donors go unused despite the amazing work by organ...
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May, 2017
Mount Laurel, NJ – May 25, 2017 - The American Society of Transplantation (AST) announced the recipients of its 2017 Achievement Awards at the recent American Transplant Congress (ATC) meeting in Chicago. The recipients were awarded for their achievements and contributions to the AST and to the field of transplantation.
“This year’s recipients are genuine leaders in transplantation, and I applaud them for their dedication, service and success,” said AST President, Ron Gill, PhD.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Daniel Salomon, MD and William Harmon, MD
The 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award was...
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The REMS for NULOJIX (belatacept) was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 15, 2011. On May 9, 2017, the FDA determined that a REMS is no longer required for NULOJIX and has eliminated the REMS requirement. As a consequence, the distribution of the Pre-Infusion Checklist within the NULOJIX carton will cease. The FDA determined that a communication plan was no longer necessary to include as an element of the approved REMS because the communication plan had been completed and the most recent assessment demonstrated that the communication plan had met its goals....
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Mount Laurel, NJ – May 11, 2017 – The American Society of Transplantation (AST) announced its recently elected 2017-2018 board members, including its new president, president-elect, and secretary, at the American Transplant Congress (ATC) in Chicago.
The AST inducted its new president, Ronald Gill, PhD, during its annual meeting on May 1, 2017.
Dr. Gill is Professor of Surgery and Immunology at the University of Colorado Denver and the Scientific Director of the Colorado Center for Transplantation Care, Research and Education. Dr. Gill’s research program is focused on both the...
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On May 4, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a vote of 217-213. The American Society of Transplantation (AST), representing a majority of the professionals engaged in the field of solid organ transplantation, is concerned for transplant patients, donors and their families under the new House-passed health care replacement measure.
As currently drafted and passed in the House of Representatives, AST remains concerned that certain provisions within the AHCA may undercut protections for transplant patients and the most vulnerable Americans —...
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WASHINGTON — The National Institutes of Health will get a $2 billion funding boost over the next five months, under a bipartisan spending deal reached late Sunday night in Congress. ...
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April, 2017
On April 21, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Thymoglobulin® [anti-thymocyte globulin (rabbit)], for use in the prophylaxis, or prevention, of acute rejection in patients receiving a kidney transplant. Thymoglobulin is a well-established medication that has been used in kidney transplantation for nearly 20 years in the United States, and this FDA approval is an important milestone for the transplant community. The use of Thymoglobulin beginning just prior to transplantation may be an important step in ensuring a successful kidney implantation.
This FDA approval is...
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