Improved Induction and Maintenance Immunosuppression in Kidney Transplantation

NCT ID: NCT00556933

Last Updated: 2023-09-18

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE4

Total Enrollment

180 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2004-04-01

Study Completion Date

2011-06-01

Brief Summary

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This 2 x 2 sequential factorial study evaluates two potential improvements to the standard immunosuppression regimen used at the investigators' institution to prevent rejection of transplanted kidneys. These two potential improvements are each applied in sequence to half of the study patients, creating 4 study arms; the other half receive the standard treatment. The two potential improvements are:

1. Administering the immunosuppression induction agent rATG ("rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin") in a single dose at the time of transplantation, instead of in the usual series of 4 smaller doses over 6 days.
2. After 6 months, modifying the maintenance immunosuppression used to prevent rejection by replacing the drug tacrolimus with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF).

The two interventions, spaced sequentially six months apart, enable independent analysis of the two treatments so long as it can be shown that there is no synergistic interaction between them.

Detailed Description

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The two treatment innovations in this study of immunosuppression in kidney transplantation are aimed at making the transplanted kidney function sooner and last longer than is usual with standard immunosuppression regimens, but without increasing the likelihood of rejection.

The first innovation, delivering the induction agent rATG in a single large dose rather than as a series of smaller doses over 6-8 days, is expected to produce better graft function right away, possibly by reducing some of the injury to the kidney that accompanies the restoration of blood flow during transplantation ("reperfusion injury"). Some evidence has been developed by investigators elsewhere to suggest this will happen.

The second innovation, replacing tacrolimus with MMF after 6 months, is intended to eliminate a well-established major cause of ongoing toxic damage to the kidney. While tacrolimus does a good job of preventing rejection, the cost in continuing toxic injury to the kidney is high, leading inevitably to eventual graft failure, the inability of the transplanted kidney to continue filtering the blood and making adequate volumes of high-quality urine.

Conditions

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End-stage Renal Disease

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

FACTORIAL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Group 1

Kidney transplant recipients given a single large dose of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) and maintained on tacrolimus and sirolimus for chronic immunosuppression.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin - single dose

Intervention Type DRUG

A single 6 mg/kg dose of rATG administered intravenously over 24 hours, beginning before kidney transplantation. Administration of the drug is begun as early as practical, usually after general anesthesia has been established but before surgery has started. The rATG is therefore administered for about two hours before blood flow is restored to the kidney undergoing transplantation.

sirolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant administered daily, dose adjusted according to measured serum trough levels, continued indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection

tacrolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant, taken daily, dose adjusted to maintain target blood trough levels, required indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection.

Group 2

Kidney transplant recipients given 4 small doses of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) and maintained on tacrolimus and sirolimus for chronic immunosuppression.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin - 4 doses

Intervention Type DRUG

6 mg/kg rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin delivered in 4 doses of 1.5 mg/kg each, the first administered at the time of kidney transplantation. Subsequent doses are administered on days 2, 4, and 6.

sirolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant administered daily, dose adjusted according to measured serum trough levels, continued indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection

tacrolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant, taken daily, dose adjusted to maintain target blood trough levels, required indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection.

Group 3

Kidney transplant recipients given a single large dose of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) and maintained on tacrolimus and sirolimus for chronic immunosuppression until tacrolimus is replaced with mycophenolate mofetil after about 6 months.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin - single dose

Intervention Type DRUG

A single 6 mg/kg dose of rATG administered intravenously over 24 hours, beginning before kidney transplantation. Administration of the drug is begun as early as practical, usually after general anesthesia has been established but before surgery has started. The rATG is therefore administered for about two hours before blood flow is restored to the kidney undergoing transplantation.

mycophenolate mofetil

Intervention Type DRUG

Patients are switched approximately 6 months after kidney transplantation from maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus and sirolimus to maintenance with mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus. The drug is administered orally, taken daily, with dose adjusted in proportion to measured blood levels, and is required indefinitely to prevent rejection of the transplanted kidney.

sirolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant administered daily, dose adjusted according to measured serum trough levels, continued indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection

tacrolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant, taken daily, dose adjusted to maintain target blood trough levels, required indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection.

Group 4

Kidney transplant recipients given 4 small doses of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (rATG) and maintained on tacrolimus and sirolimus for chronic immunosuppression until tacrolimus is replaced with mycophenolate mofetil after about 6 months.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

mycophenolate mofetil

Intervention Type DRUG

Patients are switched approximately 6 months after kidney transplantation from maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus and sirolimus to maintenance with mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus. The drug is administered orally, taken daily, with dose adjusted in proportion to measured blood levels, and is required indefinitely to prevent rejection of the transplanted kidney.

rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin - 4 doses

Intervention Type DRUG

6 mg/kg rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin delivered in 4 doses of 1.5 mg/kg each, the first administered at the time of kidney transplantation. Subsequent doses are administered on days 2, 4, and 6.

sirolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant administered daily, dose adjusted according to measured serum trough levels, continued indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection

tacrolimus

Intervention Type DRUG

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant, taken daily, dose adjusted to maintain target blood trough levels, required indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection.

Interventions

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rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin - single dose

A single 6 mg/kg dose of rATG administered intravenously over 24 hours, beginning before kidney transplantation. Administration of the drug is begun as early as practical, usually after general anesthesia has been established but before surgery has started. The rATG is therefore administered for about two hours before blood flow is restored to the kidney undergoing transplantation.

Intervention Type DRUG

mycophenolate mofetil

Patients are switched approximately 6 months after kidney transplantation from maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus and sirolimus to maintenance with mycophenolate mofetil and sirolimus. The drug is administered orally, taken daily, with dose adjusted in proportion to measured blood levels, and is required indefinitely to prevent rejection of the transplanted kidney.

Intervention Type DRUG

rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin - 4 doses

6 mg/kg rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin delivered in 4 doses of 1.5 mg/kg each, the first administered at the time of kidney transplantation. Subsequent doses are administered on days 2, 4, and 6.

Intervention Type DRUG

sirolimus

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant administered daily, dose adjusted according to measured serum trough levels, continued indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection

Intervention Type DRUG

tacrolimus

Oral maintenance immunosuppressant, taken daily, dose adjusted to maintain target blood trough levels, required indefinitely to prevent kidney rejection.

Intervention Type DRUG

Other Intervention Names

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Thymoglobulin rATG CellCept MMF mycophenolic acid Myfortic Thymoglobulin Rapamune, rapamycin FK506 ProGraf

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Primary renal transplant recipient for end-stage renal disease

Exclusion Criteria

* Recipient age \< 18 years or \> 65 years
* Previous history of CMV disease
* Hepatitis B and C recipients
* Primary disease states that require steroids for immunosuppression
* Re-transplant with immunological cause of renal or pancreas loss
* Non heart beating donors
* Recipient of pediatric en bloc kidneys
* Recipient with a Panel Reactive Antibody (PRA) score \>75%
* Patients who have received 3 or more prior transplants, excluding pancreas
* Patients who are past recipients of other solid organ transplants
* Previous history of BK virus
* Previous treatment with Thymoglobulin
* Allergy to rabbits
* Simultaneous Kidney/Pancreas transplantation
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Genzyme, a Sanofi Company

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Nebraska

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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R. Brian Stevens, MD, PhD

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dayton, OH

Locations

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Unversity of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha, Nebraska, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Miles CD, Skorupa JY, Sandoz JP, Rigley TH, Nielsen KJ, Stevens RB. Albuminuria after renal transplantation: maintenance with sirolimus/low-dose tacrolimus vs. mycophenolate mofetil/high-dose tacrolimus. Clin Transplant. 2011 Nov-Dec;25(6):898-904. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2010.01353.x. Epub 2010 Nov 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21077952 (View on PubMed)

Stevens RB. Modern approaches to combining sirolimus with calcineurin inhibitors. Transplant Proc. 2008 Dec;40(10 Suppl):S21-4. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2008.10.012.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19100901 (View on PubMed)

Sulanc E, Lane JT, Puumala SE, Groggel GC, Wrenshall LE, Stevens RB. New-onset diabetes after kidney transplantation: an application of 2003 International Guidelines. Transplantation. 2005 Oct 15;80(7):945-52. doi: 10.1097/01.tp.0000176482.63122.03.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16249743 (View on PubMed)

Stevens RB, Foster KW, Miles CD, Lane JT, Kalil AC, Florescu DF, Sandoz JP, Rigley TH, Nielsen KJ, Skorupa JY, Kellogg AM, Malik T, Wrenshall LE. A randomized 2x2 factorial trial, part 1: single-dose rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction may improve renal transplantation outcomes. Transplantation. 2015 Jan;99(1):197-209. doi: 10.1097/TP.0000000000000250.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 25083614 (View on PubMed)

Stevens RB, Lane JT, Boerner BP, Miles CD, Rigley TH, Sandoz JP, Nielsen KJ, Skorupa JY, Skorupa AJ, Kaplan B, Wrenshall LE. Single-dose rATG induction at renal transplantation: superior renal function and glucoregulation with less hypomagnesemia. Clin Transplant. 2012 Jan-Feb;26(1):123-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2011.01425.x. Epub 2011 Mar 14.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 21401720 (View on PubMed)

Snow MH, Cannella AC, Stevens RB, Mikuls TR. Presumptive serum sickness as a complication of rabbit-derived antithymocyte globulin immunosuppression. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Sep 15;61(9):1271-4. doi: 10.1002/art.24788. No abstract available.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 19714613 (View on PubMed)

Stevens RB, Mercer DF, Grant WJ, Freifeld AG, Lane JT, Groggel GC, Rigley TH, Nielsen KJ, Henning ME, Skorupa JY, Skorupa AJ, Christensen KA, Sandoz JP, Kellogg AM, Langnas AN, Wrenshall LE. Randomized trial of single-dose versus divided-dose rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin induction in renal transplantation: an interim report. Transplantation. 2008 May 27;85(10):1391-9. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e3181722fad.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 18497677 (View on PubMed)

Stevens RB, Foster KW, Miles CD, Kalil AC, Florescu DF, Sandoz JP, Rigley TH, Malik T, Wrenshall LE. A Randomized 2x2 Factorial Clinical Trial of Renal Transplantation: Steroid-Free Maintenance Immunosuppression with Calcineurin Inhibitor Withdrawal after Six Months Associates with Improved Renal Function and Reduced Chronic Histopathology. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 14;10(10):e0139247. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139247. eCollection 2015.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 26465152 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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0286-03-FB

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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