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A new immunosuppressant: tacrolimus

D G James1

  • 1Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, University of London, UK.

Postgraduate Medical Journal
|October 1, 1996
PubMed

Tacrolimus is the new name for the Japanese immunosuppressant drug FK506. It blocks interleukin 2 transcription thereby inhibiting the CD4 Th-1 lymphocyte response to foreign antigens. It also selectively inhibits cytokine secretion of IL3, IL4 and interferon-gamma. It is metabolised by the cytochrome P-450 enzyme system. The results of two trials indicate that it is similar to cyclosporin in efficacy and toxicity.

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