Arreola-Guerra JM, Alberú J, Chew-Wong A, Macias DM, Hernández-Rosales J, Zuñiga-Macías L, Delgadillo-Castañeda R, Ricalde-Ríos G, Haro-Alcalde F, Villafán-Bernal JR, Ramos-Medellín CL, Reyes-Acevedo R. Changes in the commercial brand of tacrolimus lead to subtherapeutic trough levels and acute rejection in renal transplant recipients.
Clin Transplant 2019;
33:e13749. [PMID:
31691354 DOI:
10.1111/ctr.13749]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The vigilance of tacrolimus (TAC) trough levels is an essential part of renal transplant follow up. Reduced TAC trough levels and high variability are related to adverse outcomes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of brand changes on tacrolimus (TAC) subtherapeutic (SubT) trough levels, acute rejection (AR), and kidney function.
METHODS
This is a prospective, observational cohort study of renal transplant recipients, between January 2016 and October 2018. Tacrolimus trough levels and brand used by the patient were both registered at every consult. Tacrolimus values ≤3.5 ng/mL were considered SubT.
RESULTS
445 patients were included. The median number of TAC brand changes was 2 (IQR, 1-4). Patients were grouped according to the number of brand changes: Group 1 = 0 (n = 107), Group 2 = 1-4 (n = 236), and Group 3 = ≥5 (n = 102). Patients with the greatest number of brand changes had a greater proportion and number of SubT TAC trough levels (Group 1 = 36.4%, average 0.53; Group 2 = 39.8%, average 0.65, Group 3 = 59.8%, average 1.17, P < .001) and AR (Group 1 = 0.9%, Group 2 = 11%, Group 3 = 14.7%, P < .001). On multivariate analysis, SubT levels and the number of brand changes were related to AR.
CONCLUSIONS
In Mexico, changes in TAC brand are associated with an elevated frequency of SubT levels. Brand changes and SubT levels are independently associated with acute rejection. The supply policies on TAC brands in Mexico require revision to avoid changing brands as much as possible.
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