Study: Antibodies Cut Risk of Acute Rejection for Kidney Recipients

Giving interleukin-2 receptor antibodies to patients after a kidney transplant can halve the risk of acute rejection, according to researchers in Birmingham, England.

The researchers reported in the British Medical Journal that in an analysis of eight trials involving more than 1,800 patients, there was a significant reduction in acute rejections for patients who received the antibodies together with immunosuppression drugs including cyclosporine.

At the same time, the researchers said the antibodies caused no significant differences during the first year after transplant in the rate of failure of the new organ, overall incidence of infections, incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections, or risk of malignancies..

"Adding interleukin-2 receptor antibodies to cyclosporin-based immunosuppression reduces episodes of acute rejection at six months by 49 percent," the researchers concluded. "Longer follow up studies are needed to confirm whether interleukin-2 receptor antibodies improve long term graft and patient survival."

Other Sources: British Medical Journal, 2003;326:789-791