The Kidney Health Initiative was established in September 2012 under a Memorandum of Understanding between the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Up to 40 million Americans have kidney diseases, and more than 661,000 Americans have kidney failure. In the past decade, not enough new drugs have been approved to treat kidney diseases. Moreover, certain products on the market treating other organs and conditions may have adverse side effects on kidney health, raising serious patient safety concerns. There are also significant racial and ethnic health disparities at every stage of kidney disease. As the public health implications and economic burdens of kidney disease continue to grow, the care and safety of these patients warrant increased attention. KHI will help the nephrology community collaborate to improve patient safety and develop novel therapies.

KHI is a collaborative environment for all stakeholders in the kidney community to help foster development of optimum therapies for diseases that affect the kidney. Members may include:

• Patient organizations
• Health professional organizations
• Research Institutions
• Foundations
• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
• Device manufacturers
• Dialysis providers
• US and international government agencies

Visit the membership page for more information on the application process.

Any organization that joined KHI between September 27, 2012 and December 31, 2013 is designated as a visionary "Pioneer Member" for the duration of the organization's participation in KHI.

KHI is funded through member dues. No ASN membership dues are allocated to the KHI budget. In addition, KHI receives funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through a five year, renewable R18 grant. The initial award ($430,650) was intended to support KHI activities during the budget period September 1, 2014 – August 31, 2015. Through this grant, FDA can provide additional support to KHI up to $500,000 annually through August 31, 2019.