Three-Year Outcomes in Kidney Transplant Patients Randomized to Steroid-Free Immunosuppression or Steroid Withdrawal, with Enteric-Coated Mycophenolate Sodium and Cyclosporine: The Infinity Study

In a six-month, multicenter, open-label trial, de novo kidney transplant recipients at low immunological risk were randomized to steroid avoidance or steroid withdrawal with IL-2 receptor antibody (IL-2RA) induction, enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS: 2160 mg/day to week 6, 1440 mg/day the...

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Main Authors: A. Thierry, G. Mourad, M. Büchler, G. Choukroun, O. Toupance, N. Kamar, F. Villemain, Y. Le Meur, C. Legendre, P. Merville, M. Kessler, A.-E. Heng, B. Moulin, S. Queré, F. Di Giambattista, A. Lecuyer, G. Touchard
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:Journal of Transplantation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/171898
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Summary:In a six-month, multicenter, open-label trial, de novo kidney transplant recipients at low immunological risk were randomized to steroid avoidance or steroid withdrawal with IL-2 receptor antibody (IL-2RA) induction, enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS: 2160 mg/day to week 6, 1440 mg/day thereafter), and cyclosporine. Results from a 30-month observational follow-up study are presented. Of 166 patients who completed the core study on treatment, 131 entered the follow-up study (70 steroid avoidance, 61 steroid withdrawal). The primary efficacy endpoint of treatment failure (clinical biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) graft loss, death, or loss to follow-up) occurred in 21.4% (95% CI 11.8–31.0%) of steroid avoidance patients and 16.4% (95% CI 7.1–25.7%) of steroid withdrawal patients by month 36 (P=0.46). BPAR had occurred in 20.0% and 11.5%, respectively (P=0.19). The incidence of adverse events with a suspected relation to steroids during months 6–36 was 22.9% versus 37.1% (P=0.062). By month 36, 32.4% and 51.7% of patients in the steroid avoidance and steroid withdrawal groups, respectively, were receiving oral steroids. In conclusion, IL-2RA induction with early intensified EC-MPS dosing and CNI therapy in de novo kidney transplant patients at low immunological risk may achieve similar three-year efficacy regardless of whether oral steroids are withheld for at least three months.
ISSN:2090-0007
2090-0015