The CECARi Study: Everolimus (Certican®) Initiation and Calcineurin Inhibitor Withdrawal in Maintenance Heart Transplant Recipients with Renal Insufficiency: a Multicenter, Randomized Trial
Van Keer, J.; Derthoo, D.; Van Caenegem, O.; De Pauw, M.; Nellessen, E.; Duerinckx, N.; Droogne, W.; Vörös, G.áb.; Meyns, B.; Belmans, A.; Janssens, S.; Van Cleemput, J.; Vanhaecke, J.
Journal of Transplantation 2017: 6347138
2017
ISSN/ISBN: 2090-0007 PMID: 28316834 DOI: 10.1155/2017/6347138
Accession: 060331146
In this 3-year, open-label, multicenter study, 57 maintenance heart transplant recipients (>1 year after transplant) with renal insufficiency (eGFR 30-60 mL/min/1.73 m2) were randomized to start everolimus with CNI withdrawal (N = 29) or continue their current CNI-based immunosuppression (N = 28). The primary endpoint, change in measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) from baseline to year 3, did not differ significantly between both groups (+7.0 mL/min in the everolimus group versus +1.9 mL/min in the CNI group, p = 0.18). In the on-treatment analysis, the difference did reach statistical significance (+9.4 mL/min in the everolimus group versus +1.9 mL/min in the CNI group, p = 0.047). The composite safety endpoint of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, or treated acute rejection was not different between groups. Nonfatal adverse events occurred in 96.6% of patients in the everolimus group and 57.1% in the CNI group (p < 0.001). Ten patients (34.5%) in the everolimus group discontinued the study drug during follow-up due to adverse events. The poor adherence to the everolimus therapy might have masked a potential benefit of CNI withdrawal on renal function.