Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a steroid-free and calcineurin-inhibitor free treatment regimen for patients who are receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor that is HLA-identical (has a similar immune system).


Clinical Trial Description

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a steroid-free and calcineurin-inhibitor free treatment regimen for patients who are receiving a kidney transplant from a living donor that is HLA - identical, or in other words, has a similar immune system. The immune system is a defense system that the body uses to fight foreign substances that enter the body, such as a transplanted kidney. Two people with similar immune systems are less likely to fight off or reject an organ donated from one to the other. HLA-identical kidney transplant recipients are less likely to need large amounts of immunosuppression because they are immunologically similar. In this study, you will be treated with the immunosuppressive medications, Cellcept, Rapamune, and Prograf and after a rejection free period will remain on Cellcept alone. This treatment regimen is currently being used at The University of Cincinnati for all HLA-identical living donor kidney transplant recipients. This study is being conducted to determine if the protocol currently being used results in beneficial outcomes for HLA-identical kidney transplant recipients.

Only recently have transplant centers considered avoiding steroid therapy (prednisone) in any transplant patient because steroids have been used successfully for so long, but with many side effects. The ability to stop steroids has occurred due to the availability of newer more effective immunosuppressive medications. Stopping steroids has been tried in patients who are considered to be at both low and higher risk of kidney rejection. Patients considered at risk for rejection may typically be left on steroids forever or no attempts to stop the steroids would be made until the patient is one year after transplant and has already received a lot of steroid therapy resulting in side effects. This study will be conducted in patients that are low risk for rejection and can potentially benefit from steroid avoidance.

Overall, the concept of steroid avoidance in patients that are at low risk for rejection is now much more acceptable because newer, more potent medications have recently become available to prevent acute rejection. These newer medications include Prograf (tacrolimus), Cellcept (mycophenolate mofetil), and Rapamune (sirolimus). Currently, most kidney transplant recipients receive medications consisting of tacrolimus or cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine, and steroids. However, recently, the combination of Prograf (tacrolimus) and Rapamune (sirolimus) with steroid withdrawal 3 months after transplantation was studied in patients receiving liver, liver/kidney, and kidney/pancreas transplants. This study showed a low rate of acute rejection with excellent patient and kidney survival.

The addition of Cellcept to Prograf and Rapamune is thought to be a safe and effective alternative to the use of steroids in transplant patients. Due to the low risk of rejection for HLA-identical kidney transplant recipients, patients in this study will be slowly withdrawn from both Rapamune and Prograf over a rejection free period of time. Withdrawal of these medications and avoidance of steroids could decrease the development of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, tremors, and infection after transplant. This study will determine if this medication regimen is safe, effective, and able to produce beneficial post transplant outcomes. ;


Study Design

Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT00352092
Study type Interventional
Source University of Cincinnati
Contact
Status Completed
Phase Phase 4
Start date June 2002
Completion date December 2007

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT01220050 - Paricalcitol in Reducing Parathyroid Hormone Levels and Ameliorating Markers of Bone Remodelling in Renal Transplant Recipients With Secondary Hyperparathyroidism Phase 2
Completed NCT00820469 - Study of the Influence of Plasma Exchange on the Pharmacokinetics of Rituximab Phase 4
Completed NCT00239005 - Enteric-Coated Mycophenolate Sodium on Quality of Life in Patients With Gastrointestinal Symptoms Related to Mycophenolate Mofetil Therapy After Kidney Transplantation Phase 4
Completed NCT00270153 - The Use of ACE Inhibitors in the Early Renal Post-transplant Period Phase 1
Completed NCT02711826 - Treg Therapy in Subclinical Inflammation in Kidney Transplantation Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT03837522 - Trial to Define the Benefits and Harms of Deceased Donor Kidney Procurement Biopsies N/A
Not yet recruiting NCT06025240 - Expanding the Scope of Post-transplant HLA-specific Antibody Detection and Monitoring in Renal Transplant Recipients
Completed NCT01256294 - Pharmacokinetics of Generic to Brand Tacrolimus in Stable Renal Transplant Patients Phase 4
Suspended NCT01059292 - TIPE2 Associated With Kidney Transplant N/A
Completed NCT00547040 - Arterial Stiffness and Calcifications in Incident Renal Transplant Recipients
Suspended NCT03043339 - Characterization Of the Intestinal Microbiome Evolution After Kidney Transplant Donation or Receipt
Completed NCT02581644 - Assessment of Effectiveness of Belatacept Patient Alert Card in Patients Following Renal Transplantation in a Sample of EU Countries N/A
Completed NCT01728012 - Long-term Cardiovascular Risk Following Successful Renal Transplantation N/A
Terminated NCT01011114 - Using Cinacalcet to Treat the Hypophosphatemia of Early Kidney Transplant N/A
Completed NCT02117596 - Calcineurin Inhibitor Based Immunosuppression Withdrawal N/A
Completed NCT00555373 - Pediatric Kidney Transplant Study of Sirolimus, Mycophenolate Mofetil, and Corticosteroids vs Calcineurin Inhibitor Based Immunosuppression N/A
Recruiting NCT05156086 - Safety and Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccine in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Completed NCT01334333 - Comparison of Medication Adherence Between Once and Twice Daily Tacrolimus in Stable Renal Transplant Recipients Phase 4
Recruiting NCT03107858 - The Effect of Norepinephrine Versus Dopamine in Renal Transplant Recipients on Postoperative Graft Function Phase 2/Phase 3
Completed NCT00352547 - Influence of Genes on Sirolimus Metabolism in Patients With Kidney Transplantation N/A