SCHEDULE - Scandinavian Heart Transplant Everolimus de Novo Study With Early Calcineurin Inhibitor (CNI) Avoidance

SCHEDULE - Scandinavian Heart Transplant Everolimus de Novo Study With Early CNI Avoidance

A controlled, randomized, open-label, multicenter study evaluating if early initiation of everolimus and early elimination of cyclosporine in de novo heart transplant recipients can improve long-term renal function and slow down the progression of chronic allograft vasculopathy

This was a prospective, multi-center, randomized, controlled, parallel group, open label study in de novo heart transplant recipients. Patients eligibility for randomization was assessed 5 days after heart transplant.. Patients fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria were randomized to one of two treatment groups: either conventional treatment with Cyclosporine A (CsA), Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), and corticosteroids (Group A), or low-dose CsA and everolimus, reduced dose MMF, and corticosteroids (Group B). After 7 to 11 weeks, CsA was discontinued in Group B, while the standard triple-drug immunosuppressive regimen was maintained in Group A.

De novo heart transplant recipients who had received induction therapy with antithomocyte globulin (ATG) were eligible for inclusion.

Recipients of multi-organ transplants or a previous transplant were excluded, as were those with a donor aged > 70 years, cold ischemia time >6 hours, patients with severe systemic infection, recipients of ABO incompatible transplants, patients with severe hypercholesterolemia (>350mg/dL) or hypertriglyceridemia (>750 mg/dL), patients with past (<5 years). In order to continue in the study after week 7-11 (period 1), patients had to complete first 7-11 weeks on randomized immunosuppression and none of the following criteria should be present: Ongoing rejection treatment or experience of one grade 3R rejection or two or more grade 2R rejections during first 7-11 weeks.