Pharmacokinetics of LCP-Tacro(TM) Once Daily And Prograf® Twice A Day in Adult De Novo Kidney Transplant Patients

This study was a randomized, parallel-group, open label, multicenter study in adult de novo kidney transplant patients to demonstrate the pharmacokinetics and safety of LCP-Tacro tablets and Prograf capsules in the first 2 weeks after kidney transplantation. In addition the study compared the efficacy and safety of LCP-Tacro and Prograf over an additional 50 weeks after kidney transplantation. Eligible patients were randomized (1:1 ratio) within 12 hours after transplantation (Day 0) to receive either: 1) LCP-Tacro tablets orally once daily (QD) in the morning, with an interval of 24+/- hours between doses, starting at 0.14 mg/kg (the starting daily dose for African-American patients was 0.17 mg/kg), or 2) Prograf capsules in 2 equally divided doses for African-American patients was (0.2 mg/kg total daily dose) as recommended in the U.S. Prescribing Information (Astellas Pharma US, April 2006). Day 1 was defined as the day on which the first morning dose of study medication was given which was to be within 48 hours of transplantation. Subsequent doses of study medication were adjusted to maintain target whole blood tacrolimus trough level of 7 to 20 ng/mL for the remainder of the pharmacokinetic phase of the study (Day1 through Day 14). Twenty-four-hour pharmacokinetic assessments were performed on Days 1, 7, and 14. Following completion of the third and final pharmacokinetic assessment on the morning of Day 14, patients entered the maintenance phase (Days 15 to 360) of the study and remained on their assigned study medication until Day 360. Visits for safety assessments and tacrolimus trough levels during the maintenance phase were on Days 42, 90, 120, 180, 270, and 360. On Day 360, the patients were placed on a maintenance immunosuppressive regimen determined by their treating physician.