Mycophenolic mofetil optimized pharmacokinetic modelling, and exposure-effect associations in adult heart transplant recipients

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) area under the curve (AUC) has been associated with graft outcome. The aims of our study were: (1) to develop pharmacokinetic tools to optimize MPA inter-dose AUC estimation in heart transplant patients; and (2) to investigate the relationships between acute allograft rejection and MPA AUC, trough level (C0) or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) dose.Two independent modeling approaches (parametric and non parametric) were used to fit 56 rich MPA pharmacokinetic (PK) profiles collected from 40 adult heart transplant recipients enrolled in the PIGREC study, receiving MMF and a calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), in the first year post-transplantation. In addition, associations between drug exposure (MPA C0, AUC and MMF dose) and acute rejection or MMF adverse events were investigated using time-dependent Cox models with stratification on the type of calcineurin inhibitor. Exposure threshold values were investigated using ROC curve analysis.The 2 models developed fit adequately the data and the use of their combination yielded 100% consistency with the measured AUC in terms of strategy of dose adjustment (maintain, increase or decrease). MPA measured AUC adjusted on CNI exposure was significantly associated with rejection (per unit increase: HR [95% CI] = 0.97 [0.95-0.99], p = 0.0122), while no effect was shown for adverse events attributable to MMF. An AUC threshold of 50 mg × h/L was proposed (sensitivity = 77%, specificity = 25%) beyond which the risk of rejection was significantly increased (low vs. high: HR = 3.48 [1.21-10.0], p = 0.0204).The tools developed have already been made available to the heart transplant community on our ISBA website (https://pharmaco.chu-limoges.fr).

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