Anti-lymphocyte globulin versus anti-thymocyte globulin in kidney transplant patients with preformed donor specific...

State-of-the-art immunosuppressant therapies recommend the use of induction therapy after kidney transplantation. Anti-interleukin-2 receptor antibody (basiliximab) is used for low-risk patients whereas polyclonal anti-lymphocyte sera (ALS) are recommended for medium/high-risk patients. There are two commercially available rabbit-derived ALS, namely anti-thymocyte globulin (RATG; Thymoglobulin®) and anti-lymphocyte globulin (RATLG; Grafalon®). We retrospectively compared the efficacy and safety of RATG or RATLG induction therapy in high-risk kidney transplant recipients with preformed donor specific antibodies (DSAs; n = 124). Forty-seven recipients received 1.25 mg/kg RATG for 2 to 3 days. Seventy-seven recipients were treated with 9 mg/kg RATLG on day 0 followed by 4 mg/kg RATLG for 2 to 3 days (n = 21) or a single dose of 9 mg/kg RATLG on day 0 (n = 56). Overall there were no significant differences observed between patients treated with RATG and RATLG. Similarly, no difference was observed between patients who had been given a single dose of RATLG and multiple doses of RATLG or RATG. At one year, patient and graft survival rates, acute rejection rate and type of rejection, kidney function, infections and malignancies did not differ between groups. Kidney transplant patients with preformed DSA showed similar clinical outcomes when treated with RATG or RATLG induction therapy. Polyclonal antibodies in high immunological risk kidney transplant patients.