Prophylaxis With Ganciclovir Improves Graft Survival in Renal Allograft Recipients

September 12, 2006 updated by: Lower Saxony Center for Nephrology

Open, Randomised Study Comparing Preemptive Therapy With Intravenous Ganciclovir With and Without Additional Oral Ganciclovir for CMV Prophylaxis in Immunosuppressed Renal Transplant Patients Receiving Monitoring of CMV Viral Load

Study Phase: IV

Study Type: Open-label, multicenter, randomised clinical trial with two arms stratified for an intensified immunosuppressive regimen in patients at high risk for acute rejection.

Study Description: 148 kidney transplant recipients at risk for CMV disease were randomized and treated with ganciclovir capsules for 3 months (Group A, prophylaxis, N=74) or received ganciclovir IV only in case of proven CMV viral load (Group B, preemptive therapy, N=74). Initially, a 2 months follow up was planned in this trial. However, the study group decided to offer a longterm follow up to all patients and amended the protocol, respectively.

The aim of the study was to identify the most efficacious way to prevent renal transplant recipients from CMV disease and to find out, if one of these two strategies may increase graft or patient survival. Therefore, both wellknown approaches of CMV prevention were compared in two study groups:

Prophylaxis (Group A): Oral primary prophylaxis with ganciclovir capsules was started directly after transplantation and performed until day 90. In case of CMV infection (proven CMV viral load) or symptomatic CMV disease, treatment with ganciclovir IV was initiated.

Preemptive Therapy (Group B): No oral primary prophylaxis was given. Treatment with ganciclovir IV was given to patients with proven CMV viral load (CMV infection or CMV disease) only.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Disease Background: More than 60 % of adult people are asymptomatically infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV). Due to immunosuppressive therapy, renal graft recipients are at risk for CMV infection and life-threatening disease. CMV can cause a variety of symptoms in the immunocompromised host, including CMV retinitis, pneumonia or colitis. After grafting, CMV disease most commonly occurs in the transplanted organ and can trigger graft dysfunction and acute rejection. Therefore, prophylaxis or preemptive therapy should be used in order to prevent graft recipients from CMV disease.

  • CMV prophylaxis means the administration of antiviral agents to all patients at risk for CMV disease, directly after transplantation, i.e. for 3 months. Prophylaxis is in particular used for patients at high risk for CMV disease.
  • CMV preemptive therapy (or targeted prophylaxis) means CMV monitoring and initiation of induction therapy with antiviral agents in patients with proven CMV viral load only (CMV infection). This prevents non-infected patients from being exposed to antiviral drugs and the related side effects like neutropenia or renal toxicity. Preemptive therapy is in particular used for patients at lower or moderate risk for CMV disease.

Study Description: 148 kidney transplant recipients at risk for CMV disease were randomized and treated with ganciclovir capsules for 3 months (Group A, prophylaxis, N=74) or received ganciclovir IV only in case of proven CMV viral load (Group B, preemptive therapy, N=74). Initially, a 2 months follow up was planned in this trial. However, the study group decided to offer a longterm follow up to all patients and amended the protocol, respectively.

The aim of the study was to identify the most efficacious way to prevent renal transplant recipients from CMV disease and to find out, if one of these two strategies may increase graft or patient survival. Therefore, both wellknown approaches of CMV prevention were compared in two study groups:

Prophylaxis (Group A): Oral primary prophylaxis with ganciclovir capsules was started directly after transplantation and performed until day 90. In case of CMV infection (proven CMV viral load) or symptomatic CMV disease, treatment with ganciclovir IV was initiated.

Preemptive Therapy (Group B): No oral primary prophylaxis was given. Treatment with ganciclovir IV was given to patients with proven CMV viral load (CMV infection or CMV disease) only.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

150

Phase

  • Phase 4

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Kidney transplant recipients after living or postmortal donation
  • CMV seropositive donor or recipient of the kidney transplant: D+/R-, D+/R+ or D-/R+
  • Laboratory parameters: 50.000/ml thrombocytes and/or 1000/ml neutrophils
  • Immunosuppression including MMF

Main Exclusion Criteria:

  • Woman who are pregnant, breastfeeding or using unreliable birth control methods
  • Forbidden concomitant medications during the 12 month observation period of the study are:
  • Virustatic drugs, active against CMV: Foscarnet, Cidofovir (HPMPC), Acyclovir, Valaciclovir, Famciclovir/Penciclovir, Lobucavir, Antisense compound
  • Antimetabolites: Fluorouracil, Mercaptopurine, Methotrexate, Thioguanine, Hydroxurea
  • Alkylating substances: Busulfan, Carmustine, Chlorambucil, Cisplatin, Cyclophosphamide, Dacarbazine (DTIC), Lomustine, Mechlormethamine, Melphalan, Streptozotocin, Tiothepa, Uracil mustard
  • anti CMV immunoglobulins (except in the case of signs of CMV infection) such as anti CMV hyperimmunoglobulins and immunoglobulins
  • Known hypersensitivity to ganciclovir
  • Patients with active CMV infection or positive viraemia at randomization
  • Severe gastro-intestinal diseases which may interfere with the oral resorption of ganciclovir
  • Conversion of immunosuppression (Replacement of MMF)
  • Participation in another clinical drug trial

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
The impact of CMV infection on graft function, incidence of CMV infection and creatinine clearance in both study groups at month 12. long-term graft and patient survival. Neutrophil counts and creatinine clearance were measured on a regular basis.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Lower Saxony Center for Nephrology

Investigators

  • Study Chair: Volker Kliem, MD, Lower Saxony Center for Nephrology, Transplantation Center, Department of Nephrology

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

August 1, 2000

Study Completion

October 1, 2003

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 5, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 6, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

September 7, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

September 13, 2006

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 12, 2006

Last Verified

September 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • ML19827

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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