Pharmacotherapeutic considerations in solid organ transplant patients with COVID-19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly worldwide. While there are presently a few case reports/series on COVID-19 amongst solid organ transplant (SOT) patients, there is no official guideline for the management of SOT patients.

The authors discuss the pharmacotherapeutic management of SOT patients during the COVID-19 outbreak and provide their expert perspectives.

Prophylactic reduction of immunosuppression because of fear of COVID-19 is not suggested in SOT patients. With maintenance immunosuppressive regimens, corticosteroids can be continued during COVID-19. Continuing other immunosuppressive drugs with lowest effective dose/blood concentration is suggested for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Discontinuation of antimetabolites and perhaps inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is suggested in moderate to severe COVID-19. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) may be continued or substituted for mTOR inhibitors with lowest therapeutic concentrations in moderate to severe COVID-19. If continued in patients with COVID-19, therapeutic drug monitoring of CNIs/mTOR inhibitors and appropriate dose reduction is recommended in co-administration with protease inhibitors, hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine, or interleukin (IL)-1/IL-6 receptor antagonists. Complete blood count monitoring is recommended in patients who continue taking antimetabolites or mTOR inhibitors. Dose modification/avoidance should be considered for chloroquine, atazanavir, oseltamivir, ribavirin, anakinra, and Janus associated kinase inhibitors in patients with organ function impairment.