Emory Study Shows Reducing Immunosuppressant Medication for Kidney Transplant Patients is Possible

Kidney transplant patients at Emory Transplant Center who were given medication to prevent organ rejection and strengthen their immune system every two months instead of monthly were found to be just as healthy, based on a clinical study.

The immunosuppressant drug called belatacept was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2011 and is produced by Bristol Myers Squibb. It inhibits one of the two signals that T cells need to trigger an immune response when the body perceives a threat. Emory doctors played key roles in the drug’s discovery and development.

Half the Medication Produces the Same Results for Patients

In the new study, which began in 2015, Emory researchers looked at a group of kidney transplant patients who were recovering well after their surgery. They divided the participants into two groups. One group received belatacept every four weeks; the other received the drug every eight weeks.

Researchers finished their study late in the summer of 2019. Although they’re still evaluating the overall results, they found that patients got the same benefits from belatacept regardless of how often they received the medication.

Belatacept is in a class of drugs known as biologics. It’s made from living organisms. Experts believe patients can go longer periods of time between doses of these medications because their makeup helps them last longer. That was borne out in this study.

Findings Will Make Life Easier for Kidney Transplant Patients

For kidney transplant patients, the findings of the recent research are significant. If patients require just six infusions each year, rather than the 12 infusions we currently give:

• They can have fewer office visits, which will simplify their care and make life easier for them
• Costs will be reduced
• The risk of potential side effects from the drug will be lessened because patients receive less medicine

Because doctors feel optimistic about what the study has shown, Emory is likely to put all kidney transplant patients on the every-eight-weeks belatacept regimen sometime this year.

Belatacept Infusion Center Locations

In order to better serve our kidney transplant recipients receiving belatacept infusion, Emory Transplant Center offers partnering facilities throughout Georgia where patients can have their infusions without having to make a trip to Atlanta. We also offer select locations in Alabama, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina.