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Updated: May 25, 2026

Quantification of the Immunosuppressant Tacrolimus on Dried Blood Spots Using LC-MS/MS
Published on: November 8, 2015
Cyclosporine or tacrolimus: which is the better partner for myfortic or cellcept?
P-C Lee1, S-S Chang, S-C Shieh
1Department of Surgery, National Cheng-Kung University Medical College and Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan. pochang@mail.ncku.edu.tw
Background:
Mycophenolic acid (MPA) pharmacokinetics using the mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) formulation are known to differ between patients receiving tacrolimus (FK) or cyclosporine (CyA), but only limited data exist concerning concomitant use of FK or CyA with enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (EC-MPS; Myfortic). This retrospective study compared the drug interactions with the mycophenolic acid blood levels using different immunosuppressants and their relation to graft survival.
Patients And Methods:
We studied MPA levels in posttransplant sera from 298 renal transplant recipients.
Results:
Patients receiving immunosuppression with CyA + Myfortic showed 94% at 5- and 10-year graft survivals, which were better than CyA + CellCept (75%, 63%). This combination suppressed posttransplant human leukocyte antigen (HLA) antibody development significantly (P = .03) with higher MPA levels.
Conclusion:
Patients immunosuppressed with CyA + Myfortic showed higher MPA levels and lower posttransplant HLA antibody development as well as the best graft survival. CyA + Myfortic or FK + Cellcept may be better combinations.
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