Abstract
Aim:
To evaluate the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in Chinese stable liver transplant recipients converted from immediate release (IR) tacrolimus-based immunosuppression to modified release (MR) tacrolimus-based immunosuppression.
Methods:
Open-label, multi-center study with a one-way conversion design was conducted. Eighty-three stable liver recipients (6–24 months post-transplant) with normal renal and stable hepatic function were converted from IR tacrolimus twice-daily treatment to MR tacrolimus once-daily treatment on a 1:1 (mg: mg) total daily dose basis. Twenty-four hour pharmacokinetic studies were carried out on d 0 (pre-conversion), d 1, and d 84 (post-conversion).
Results:
The area under the blood concentration–time curve of MR tacrolimus from 0 to 24 h (AUC0–24) on d 1 was comparable to that of IR tacrolimus on d 0, with a 90% confidence interval (CI) for MR/IR tacrolimus of 92%–97%. The AUC0–24 value for MR tacrolimus on d 84 with the daily dose increased by 14% was approximately 17% lower than that for IR tacrolimus. The 90% CI was 77%–90%, outside the bioequivalence range of 80%–125%. There was a good correlation between AUC0–24 and concentration at 24 h (C24) for IR tacrolimus (d 0, r=0.930) and MR tacrolimus (d 1, r=0.936; d 84, r=0.903).
Conclusion:
The exposure to tacrolimus when administered MR tacrolimus once daily is not equivalent to that for IR tacrolimus twice daily after an 84-day conversion in Chinese stable liver transplant recipients. The dose should be adjusted on the basis of trough levels. The therapeutic drug monitoring for patients treated with IR tacrolimus is considered to be applicable to MR tacrolimus.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge Prof Shu-sen ZHENG of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University; Prof Yong-feng LIU of the First Hospital of China Medical University; Prof Zhi-jun ZHU of Tianjin First Center Hospital; Prof Qiang XIA of Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Prof Jia FAN of Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University; and Prof Zhi-ren FU of Shanghai Changzheng Hospital for their assistance in performing the clinical studies.
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Zhang, Yf., Chen, Xy., Dai, Xj. et al. Pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus converted from twice-daily formulation to once-daily formulation in Chinese stable liver transplant recipients. Acta Pharmacol Sin 32, 1419–1423 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2011.125
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/aps.2011.125
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