Everolimus bAsed caLcineurin inhibiTor frEe immunosuppRession oNe Year AfTer lIver transplantatiON (ALTERNATION)

Randomized, prospective, multicenter, open-label, controlled trial in Liver allograft recipients beyond year one after transplantation (12-36 Months after liver transplantation) without graft dysfunction and with a surveillance biopsy without relevant subclinical graft injury.

The population of the trial will be adult LTR (≥18 and < 80 years at the study entry) beyond the first year after OLT, who are eligible for a svLBx. The aim of this study is to compare two regimens of a reduced IS in the first year after OLT. Therefore, patients with an increased rejection risk have to be excluded by relevant liver enzyme elevation (ALT, and ALP > 2 ULN) and by a svLBx showing relevant graft injury guided by the BANFFmini criteria. These thresholds have been safely used by several studies with a complete IS withdrawal and should be safe for the proposed study which rather aims for a moderate reduction of IS. Within our single center program for biopsy guided personalized immunosuppression an extension of this strict BANFFmini criteria was safe in patients with immunosuppression minimization but no complete withdrawal.

LTR with a putative intolerance of the increased IS after a rejection provoked by the study intervention (steroid boli or higher CNI doses) like older patients, pregnant woman or patients with advanced kidney failure (eGFR < 30 ml/min), ongoing infections or malignancies will also be excluded. We would not exclude per se LTR with autoimmune liver diseases as cause for OLT, because we did not observe any increased rejection risk in this patient population using a reduced IS with low dose CNI in our single center personalized IS program. Patients with an increased risk to be harmed by EVR, e.g. preexisting proteinuria, will be excluded as well. Screening of patients that are already on EVR/CNI combination therapy can be performed according to the judgement of participating centers. LTR on EVR/CNI because of reduced kidney function or because of recurrent viral infection, will not be harmed by the study, because both groups - intervention and SOC - will not lead to an increase in CNI dosage compared to the dosage before. Patients on EVR/CNI because of hepatocellular carcinoma: There is no prospective data showing an overall long-term survival benefit from a mTORI-based regimen and there is no prospective data showing a survival benefit between a mTORI containing regimen vs a low dose CNI regimen.

In contrast to previous studies on CNI-free mTORI-based IS, we will not focus exclusively on patients with a preexisting renal failure. Since we do not expect a relevantly increased rejection risk by the study intervention, the potential rejection risk has not to be balanced by a higher chance to benefit from renal protective IS as in previously performed trials. Therefore, it is ethically justifiable to include patients without significant renal impairment and thus to let them benefit from the possible benefit of the intervention.

The inclusion and exclusion criteria will select healthy LTR and more motivated patients that are willing to undergo a svLBx. However, the screening via a svLBx is essential considering the rate of BANFFmini in 30-40% of patients.

Patients in the intervention group will be switched to a mTORI-based immunosuppression (EVR 3-8ng/ml) with MMF (250-750 mg bid). CNI will be tapered stepwise in the 2 months lead-in phase.

Patients serving as control group need to fulfill the same inclusion criteria as the intervention group. Since they will also be eligible for minimization of IS guided by Banff criteria, after randomization IS will be provided based on a low dose CNI regime (Tac trough levels 2-4 ng/ml) with or without MMF (250 mg bid) as it is current standard of care. Patients, who have already been on low-dose CNI, will continue on their previous IS regime. According to recently published data showing reduced nephrotoxicity with a combined endpoint with new onset diabetes and new arterial hypertension with LCP-Tac Versus extended-released TAC, the preferred TAC in the study will be LCP-Tac. Only in case of intolerance, other tacrolimus preparations or CYS (trough level 50-80 ng/ml) should be used and discussion with the coordinating investigator may be advised.

In parallel for both study arms, a further minimization step to a low dose CNI therapy (control arm) or EVR low dose (trough level 3-6 ng/ml) both without MMF is advised after 14 months svLBx showing still no relevant graft injury.