Augustine J J, Hricik D E
Department of Medicine Case Western Reserve University and the Transplantation Service, University Hospitals of Cleveland, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Transplant Proc. 2004 Mar;36(2 Suppl):500S-503S. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2004.01.059.
Everolimus is a novel macrolide immunosuppressant that acts as a T-lymphocyte proliferation signal inhibitor. Its actions are complementary to and synergistic with those of the calcineurin inhibitors. Compared with sirolimus, everolimus has unique pharmacokinetic characteristics including greater bioavailability and a shorter half-life, allowing more rapid achievement of a steady state. Clinical experience to date, largely limited to use in kidney transplant patients receiving cyclosporine-based immunosuppression, indicates that administration of everolimus is associated with low rates of acute rejection and a tolerable safety profile. Recent observations in heart transplant patients suggest that the antiproliferative effects of everolimus may prevent allograft vasculopathy.
