Global Kidney Summit Mobilizes Patients for Care Innovation

The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the largest independent kidney patient organization in the USA, and its strategic partners at The George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) hosted their 4th Annual Global Summit on Kidney Innovations, titled "Global Kidney Patient Voice™ - The Key to Accelerating Innovations," on August 23-24, 2022.

The event included 15 sessions and over a combined 60 patient expert, government, medical, and industry speakers. Specifically, the summit showcased the massive worldwide shift in patient expectations, advocacy, science, innovation, and public policy related to kidney diseases and treatments.

Kidney disease medicine and treatments are undergoing the greatest transformations in decades as patients organize to impact policy and accelerate research as new companies and investors enter the field. Status quo kidney care, especially in-center dialysis, is a legacy of the last century defined by extremely high burdens, including patient disability and mortality, loss of work and dependency on unemployment assistance, and steep costs to taxpayers and societies.

COVID-19 has exacerbated existing disease burdens for patients and remains a serious threat to the kidney patient population globally. Kidney patients are extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 due to the multiple chronic conditions they manage, compromised immune systems, and, for kidney transplant recipients, immune suppression therapies that limit the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics.

In the past several years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and regulatory bodies across the globe have approved new, safe therapies that improve kidney patient quality of life while reducing disease burdens.

All 2022 Global Summit presentations will be available OnDemand through the AAKP website and AAKP YouTube Channel and will continue to reach additional viewers across the world to increase the AAKP and GW SMHS reach exponentially of this year's Global Summit content.