U.S. and EU Kidney Groups Align for Global Innovation Consortium World Kidney Day Announcement Precedes Virtual Patient-Led Global Summit WASHINGTON, March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP), the largest U.S. kidney patient organization, today joined the European Kidney Patients' Federation (EKPF) and the European Kidney Health Alliance (EKHA) in a new collaboration designed to expand the role of kidney patient consumers as central influencers in policy deliberations related to kidney research investments, more inclusive clinical trials, accelerated innovations, and improved health outcomes. The collaborative effort will boost The Decade of the Kidney an AAKP global initiative, launched in 2019 for the 2020-2030 decade, to support a patient-led international consortium to drive kidney disease as a global health priority and to better align governmental regulatory and payment policies so that barriers blocking rapid entry of treatment innovations into consumer markets are removed. Internationally, kidney patients are equal partners in breakthrough efforts related to, artificial implantable organs and wearable kidney devices; improved diagnostics for disease detection, precision medicine and new biologics that slow or stop disease progression. The AAKP, EKPF, and EKHA announcement comes as the unique value of kidney patient insights (