Mammalian Target Of Rapamycin Inhibitor Therapy Research Articles

Everolimus Exposure in Cardiac Transplant Recipients is Influenced by Concomitant Calcineurin Inhibitor

In two separate pharmacokinetic studies, the drug interaction between immunosuppressive agents was examined in a total of 12 cardiac transplant recipients by conversion of the concomitant immunosuppressant. In six patients under continuous tacrolimus therapy, the concomitant drug azathioprine was converted to everolimus (PK-TAC study). No significant effect on tacrolimus pharmacokinetic parameters was observed. In the second study in which the patients were converted from cyclosporine to tacrolimus under continuous everolimus therapy (PK-EVL study), a significant decrease in everolimus predose concentration (from 4.2 to 2.3 microg/L), maximum concentration (from 9.1 to 5.9 microg/L), and area under the concentration time curve (mean values decreased from 64.2 to 33.7 microg*h/L) was found, indicating a lower everolimus exposure. A pharmacokinetic interaction between cyclosporine and everolimus has been described previously for healthy volunteers after single-dose application and presumably originates from a comparatively greater inhibition of hepatic CYP3A4 or P-glycoprotein efflux transporter with a low-dose cyclosporine regimen. Our results confirm this interaction under clinical conditions and suggest close drug monitoring when converting the calcineurin inhibitor under concomitant mammalian target of rapamycin-inhibitor therapy.