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Phase IV Study to Evaluate Calcineurin Inhibitor Reduced, Steroid Free Immunosuppression After Renal Transplantation

Triple Arm, Prospectively Randomized Multi Centre Study Phase IV to Evaluate Calcineurin Inhibitor Reduced, Steroid Free Immunosuppression After Renal Transplantation in Non-risk Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 4
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00724022
Acronym
Harmony
Enrollment
600
Registered
2008-07-29
Start date
2008-06-30
Completion date
2014-07-31
Last updated
2014-10-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Disorder Related to Renal Transplantation

Keywords

Kidney transplant status, Steroid free, Reduced, Calcineurin, Inhibitor, Immunosuppression

Brief summary

Current practice of immune suppressive standard therapy after renal transplantation in non-risk patients is a triple therapy consisting of steroids, a calcineurin inhibitor and MMF. The aim of this clinical trial is to combine a reduction of CNI using tacrolimus and a concept of not using steroids in order to establish an immunosuppressive regimen in immunologically non-risk patients that is efficient and causes as few side effects as possible.

Detailed description

In this triple arm, prospectively randomized multi centre phase IV study 200 patients per study arm will be investigated for 12 months. Based on the results of the Symphony study the low dose tacrolimus study arm will be modified to further improve efficacy (prevention of BPAR, best possible renal function) and safety (adverse event profile regarding infections, cardiovascular risk factors, malignant tumours) of immunosuppression. For this, CNI will be reduced and in addition the rate of steroid free patients after 1 week will be maximized to achieve a long lasting improved post surgical cardiovascular risk profile (in particular concerning de novo induction of diabetes mellitus and other adverse events caused by steroids). Safety should be increased without loss of efficacy of immunosuppression (measured in rejection rate and allograft loss rate) as compared to an immune suppressive therapy comprising steroids. Therefore, following the successful study arm of the Symphony study, immunosuppression in the first of the three study arms comprises a steroid in combination with Advagraf and CellCept in addition to a two dose induction therapy with Simulect (group A). The regimen of the second study arm is similar but discontinues steroids on day seven after transplantation (group B). Therapy of group three is similar to group B but Simulect is replaced by T-cell depleting polyclonal antibodies (Thymoglobulin) (group C).

Interventions

DRUGBasiliximab, Tacrolimus, MMF, Prednisolon

Control group. Therapy with Prednisolon.

DRUGBasiliximab, Tacrolimus, MMF

No Prednisolon after 7 days

DRUGTacrolimus, MMF, rATG

Induction therapy: rATG instead of Basiliximab. No Prednisolon.

Sponsors

Roche Pharma AG
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Astellas Pharma GmbH
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Genzyme, a Sanofi Company
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
University Hospital Freiburg
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Post mortal kidney donation or living donation * Primary and secondary renal transplantation, unless the graft was lost due to severe rejection within the first year * PRA level ≤ 20%. * Recipient ≥ 18 to 75 years of age * AB0-compatible * Negative crosshatch * Patients with a signed informed consent form * Women of child-bearing age must agree to an efficient contraception

Exclusion criteria

* Third or multiple transplantation * Transplantation per a non-heart beating donor * HLA-identical living donation * Incompatibility to study medication (allergy, intolerance, hypersensitivity) * Patients with existing malignant underlying disease or tumour anamnesis \< 5 years. Exception: basaloma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin after successful therapy * Female patients who do not use a safe method of contraception * Patients with clinically significant, uncontrolled infectious diseases (incl. HIV) and/or severe diarrhoea, emesis, active malabsorption of the upper gastrointestinal tract or active peptic ulcer * Patients currently, resp. within the last 30 days, participating in other studies * Primary focal-sclerosing glomerulonephritis and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis as an underlying disease * Autoimmune disease as underlying disease (collagen diseases, colitis, HUS, SLE) which might require chronic cortisone therapy * Additional disease requiring temporary or chronic cortisone therapy (including inhalation medicine) * Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C infection * Thrombopenia \< 70.000/mm3 or leukopenia \< 2.500/mm3 or neutropenia \< 1500/ mm3. * Patients with hepatocirrhosis Child B or C or another severe disease of the liver * Patients with symptoms of a significant somatic or psychiatric / mental illness. Patients who are not able to realize nature, relevance and consequences of the clinical trial and who are not able to comply, to cooperate and communicate adequately and to follow the instructions of the study or even to give their informed consent (according to § 40 article 4 and § 41 article 2 and 3 AMG). * Patients who possibly depend on the sponsor or the trial physician * Patients with signs of drug abuse or alcohol abuse * Patients taking additional medicines with known interactions with the immune suppressive substances (MMF and tacrolimus) that preclude an adequate control of the immunosuppression * Cold ischemia time of donor kidney \> 30 hours * Pregnant or nursing patients

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Efficacy of immunosuppression measured in rejection rate confirmed by biopsy according to BANFF 97, modified 2005.one year after transplantation

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Rate of patients with steroid-free immunosuppressionRate of patients with steroid-free immunosuppression
patient and graft survival ratepatient and graft survival rate
graft function (calculated by the Cock- croft-Gault and MDRD-IV formula respectively calculated creatinine clearance by the Nankivell formula respectively cystatin C measurement)graft function (calculated by the Cock- croft-Gault and MDRD-IV formula respectively calculated creatinine clearance by the Nankivell formula respectively cystatin C measurement)
Number of steroid-resistant rejectionsNumber of steroid-resistant rejections
blood pressure level and also amount and types of blood pressure medicationsblood pressure level and also amount and types of blood pressure medications
Lipid levels and also amount and types of lipid-lowering medicationsLipid levels and also amount and types of lipid-lowering medications
body weight, relative weight gain [kg], BMIbody weight, relative weight gain \[kg\], BMI
infection rate, infection type and infection severityinfection rate, infection type and infection severity
anemia requiring erythropoietin treatmentanemia requiring erythropoietin treatment
PTLD incidencePTLD incidence
tumor incidencetumor incidence
incidence of diabetes mellitus nd incidence of abnormal fasting blood sugar levels respectively incidence of impaired glucose tolerance, incidence of de novo insulin-requiring or oral-antidiabetic-requiring treatment over ≥30 days30 daysincidence of diabetes mellitus (ADA criteria, venous blood glucose concentration on an empty stomach ≥7.0 mmol/l, pathologic OGTT) and incidence of abnormal fasting blood sugar levels respectively incidence of impaired glucose tolerance, incidence of de novo insulin-requiring or oral-antidiabetic-requiring treatment over ≥30 days
incidence of cataractsincidence of cataracts
incidence of avascular necrosisincidence of avascular necrosis
incidence of osteoporosisincidence of osteoporosis (assessment of fracture rate, osteodensitometry)
Wound healing disordersWound healing disorders
incidence of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) (12-month histology)incidence of chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) (12-month histology)
incidence of CMV disease (qPCR >1000 copies/μL)incidence of CMV disease (qPCR \>1000 copies/μL)
incidence of BKV disease (qPCR >1000 copies/μL)incidence of BKV disease (qPCR \>1000 copies/μL)
incidence of EBV disease (qPCR >1000 copies/μL)incidence of EBV disease (qPCR \>1000 copies/μL)

Countries

Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 11, 2026