Use of Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) in renal transplantation. Results of a single-centre trial

Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) is a new immunosuppressant demonstrated to be e ffective at the dose of 2 to 3 g/day. The objective of this study was to de termine whether MMF could be used at a lower dose with the same efficacy. T wo patient groups were studied : 334 patients treated with azathioprine (AZ A) and 60 patients treated MMF (at the dose of 750 mg/day, for patients rec eiving triple combination therapy or 1.5 g/day for those receiving two-agen t combination therapy). The rest of the treatment was identical for the 2 g roups. The main endpoint was the incidence of acute rejection at 3 months, which was 16% in the MMF group and 35% in the AZA group (p=0.003). Multivar iate analysis confirmed the impact of the type of purine synthesis inhibito r used (AZA or MMF, p=0.007) on the acute rejection rare at 3 months. This study confirms the value of MMF, even at doses lower than those recommended in the international literature, with improved safety. MMF has now replace d azathioprine in our immunosuppressant protocols.