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End Stage Renal DiseasePhase 4NCT00182559

The Vienna Prograf and Endothelial Progenitor Cell Study

A Phase 4 study testing Ciclosporin and Tacrolimus in people with End Stage Renal Disease, run by Medical University of Vienna at 1 site in Austria.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The aim of the study is to determine if the conversion from the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine to tacrolimus contributes to an improvement of the cardiovascular risk factors, better kidney function and immune system. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 80 years
Conditions the study is for
End Stage Renal Disease
What is being tested?
Ciclosporin and Tacrolimus
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
148 participants
Where
1 siteAustria
Study dates
Apr 2004to May 2009
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 80 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patient is recipient of a deceased or living donor renal transplant (including retransplants) Patient is 18 years or age or older at the time of transplantation. Patient is at least 6 months post-transplant. Patient is on a cyclosporine-based immunosuppression regimen o combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and/or steroids at study entry.
  • Patient has a functioning renal allograft and estimated GFR≥39 mL/min/1.73m2 within four weeks prior to study entry.
  • Patient has a stable graft function without biopsy proven acute rejection episode within 3 months prior to study entry.
  • Patient has not experienced a cardiovascular event. Patient has fully been informed and has given written informed consent according to the International Conference on Harmonization, Good Clinical Practice.
  • Females are not pregnant and agree to practice effective birth control while receiving immunosuppressant medication.
  • Patient has indications for conversion at the investigators discretion or is suffering from cyclosporine associated side effects like hypertension, hyperlipidemia or cosmetic side effects.

Who cannot join

  • Patient is recipient of a solid organ transplant other than the kidney. Patient has recurrence of primary renal disease, or de novo renal disease. Patient is pregnant or lactating. Patient had known or suspected malignancy (except for treated squamous and basal cell skin cancers) <5 years before study entry or a history of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD).
  • Patient has known hypersensitivity to tacrolimus, or any of the recipients of the drug.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Austria1 site
  • Medical University of Vienna

    Vienna, 1090

Other trials in Austria

About this study

The aim of the study is to determine if the conversion from the immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine to tacrolimus contributes to an improvement of the cardiovascular risk factors, better kidney function and immune system.

Read the detailed description

In addition to hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and smoking, as well as other non-traditional risk factors such as elevated C-reactive protein, homocysteine, Lp(a), or reduced renal function, depletion of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) in the peripheral circulation may represent another important explanation for the excess cardiovascular morbidity of kidney transplant recipients. In this context, the potential association of immunosuppressive therapy with EPCs in kidney transplant recipients deserves special consideration. The use of tacrolimus associated with a more favorable cardiovascular risk factors profile in terms of improved blood pressure and lipid levels in kidney transplant recipients compared to cyclosporine users. Therefore, one can speculate whether tacrolimus users might have greater EPC counts compared to patients treated with cyclosporine.

In a pilot study we cross-sectionally studied EPC counts in 90 stable, middle-aged kidney transplant recipients. From multivariate analyses, we found a independent inverse association between EPC counts and body mass index and systolic blood pressure. Statin use was associated with greater EPC counts, while patients receiving azathioprine had lower EPC counts. These findings raised the hypothesis whether EPCs are responsible, at least in part, for the well-established association between these factors and cardiovascular outcomes.

Cystatin C is superior to serum creatinine as a marker of kidney function since cystatin C is a more sensitive marker than serum creatine for small changes in glomerular filtration rate. Until now, there are no available data on the change of cystatin C as a measure of graft function after conversion of a cyclosporine based immunosuppressive regimen to tacrolimus.

There is accumulating evidence for an important pathogenetic role of donor-reactive antibodies in kidney allograft rejection. Recent studies suggest an anti-humoral activity of tacrolimus in the setting of chronic rejection. Recent findings suggest that in patients who are on cyclosporine, tacrolimus rescue therapy could efficiently inhibit antibody formation.

Objective 1: To evaluate the change in endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) count in kidney graft recipients converted from cyclosporine to tacrolimus.

Objective 2: To evaluate the change in cystatin C as a measure of renal function in kidney graft recipients converted from cyclosporine to tacrolimus.

Objective 3: To determine the effect of tacrolimus on humoral alloreactivity in kidney graft recipients Study design: A 2:1 randomized, parallel group, open-label, prospective trial comparing two different immunosuppressive regimens in approximately 148 patients. Group A: Convert to tacrolimus in combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and/or steroids. Group B: Maintain cyclosporine in combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and/or steroids. Patients will be followed up for 24 months after conversion.

In an amendment (August 2006) we registered pharmacogenetic analyses of the multi-drug resistance transporter 1 (MDR1) gene (gene symbol: ABCB1). The patients´ DNA is extracted from peripheral venous blood manually with industrial extraction kits. Two gene sections are amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mutations are determined by restriction enzymes (restriction fragment length polymorphisms, RFLP).

Being tested
Ciclosporin, Tacrolimus
Keywords
kidney, transplantation, tacrolimus, cyclosporine, conversion
Medical subject headings
Kidney Failure, Chronic

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • CiclosporinDrug

    Also called Sandimmun Neoral

    Maintain ciclosporin in combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and with/without steroids at target trough levels of 70-150ng/mL.

  • TacrolimusDrug

    Also called Prograf

    Conversion from ciclosporin to tacrolimus at target trough levels of 5-8 ng/mL in combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and with/without steroids.

Study groups in NCT00182559
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
CiclosporinActive comparatorMaintain ciclosporin in combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and with/without steroids at target trough levels of 70-150ng/mL.
Receives: Drug: Ciclosporin
TacrolimusActive comparatorConversion from ciclosporin to tacrolimus at target trough levels of 5-8 ng/mL in combination with/without mycophenolate mofetil and with/without steroids.
Receives: Drug: Tacrolimus

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Change in endothelial progenitor cells from baseline to month 24

    The primary endpoint was the effect of conversion from ciclosporin to tacrolimus based immunosuppressive therapy on endothelial progenitor cell count at month 24.

    Measured: Baseline and 24 months

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Renal function at baseline and after 24 months

    Changes in risk factors for cardiovascular outcomes like serum lipids, blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, serum C-reactive protein, body mass index. Safety was addressed according to the incidence of medical necessity to change immunosuppressive therapy, serious opportunistic infection, new-onset diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular events, malignancy, lymphoma and lymphoproliferative disease, gingival hyperplasia, hypertrichosis, alopecia, graft loss and death.

    Measured: Baseline, 24 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted16 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startApr 2004
  3. Primary completionMay 2009
  4. Study completionMay 2009

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 4
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
148 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00182559
Sponsor's protocol ID
2004-004209-98
Other IDs
393/2004, 2004
Status last verified
Feb 2014
First submitted
10 Sep 2005
Last updated
5 Feb 2014
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Plischke M, Riegersperger M, Dunkler D, Heinze G, Kikic Z, Winkelmayer WC, Sunder-Plassmann G. Late Conversion of Kidney Transplant Recipients from Ciclosporin to Tacrolimus Improves Graft Function: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015 Aug 13;10(8):e0135674. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135674. eCollection 2015.

    PubMed 26270340
  • Riegersperger M, Plischke M, Steiner S, Seidinger D, Sengoelge G, Winkelmayer WC, Sunder-Plassmann G. Effect of conversion from ciclosporin to tacrolimus on endothelial progenitor cells in stable long-term kidney transplant recipients. Transplantation. 2013 Jun 15;95(11):1338-45. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e31828fabb3.

    PubMed 23594858

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Ciclosporin and Tacrolimus in people with End Stage Renal Disease, run by Medical University of Vienna at 1 site in Austria.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 Feb 2014. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Austria. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Change in endothelial progenitor cells from baseline to month 24 (time frame: Baseline and 24 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00182559, which also lists 2 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 Feb 2014.

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