Combination Immunosuppressive Therapy to Prevent Kidney Transplant Rejection in Adults

Summary

Transplant rejection occurs when a patient's body does not recognize the new organ and attacks it. Patients who have kidney transplants must take drugs to prevent transplant rejection. Alemtuzumab is a man-made antibody used to treat certain blood disorders. The purpose of this study is to test the safety and effectiveness of using alemtuzumab in combination with two other drugs, sirolimus and tacrolimus, to prevent organ rejection after kidney transplantation. This study will also test whether this combination of medications will allow patients to eventually stop taking antirejection medications entirely. Study hypothesis: A new strategy of immunosuppression using alemtuzumab, tacrolimus, and sirolimus for human renal transplantation will permit a step-wise withdrawal from immunosuppressive drugs.

Timeline

Start

2003-11

Primary completion

2010-02

Completion

2010-02

Publications

• Background First MR. Tacrolimus based immunosuppression. J Nephrol. 2004 Nov-Dec;17 Suppl 8:S25-31.
• Background Gourishankar S, Turner P, Halloran P. New developments in immunosuppressive therapy in renal transplantation. Expert Opin Biol Ther. 2002 Jun;2(5):483-501. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2.5.483.
• Background Watson CJ, Bradley JA, Friend PJ, Firth J, Taylor CJ, Bradley JR, Smith KG, Thiru S, Jamieson NV, Hale G, Waldmann H, Calne R. Alemtuzumab (CAMPATH 1H) induction therapy in cadaveric kidney transplantation--efficacy and safety at five years. Am J Transplant. 2005 Jun;5(6):1347-53. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2005.00822.x.

Drugs

Indications