This Phase III randomized trial examined efficacy and safety of a novel once‐daily extended‐release tacrolimus formulation (LCP‐Tacro [LCPT]) versus twice‐daily tacrolimus in de novo kidney transplantation. Primary efficacy end point was proportion of patients with treatment failure (death, graft failure, biopsy‐proven acute rejection or lost to follow‐up) within 12 months. Starting doses were, LCPT: 0.17 mg/kg/day and tacrolimus twice‐daily: 0.1 mg/kg/day; 543 patients were randomized, LCPT: n = 268; tacrolimus twice‐daily: n = 275. At 12 months treatment failure was LCPT: 18.3% and tacrolimus twice‐daily: 19.6%; the upper 95% CI of the treatment difference was +5.27%, below the predefined +10% noninferiority criteria. There were no significant differences in the incidence of individual efficacy events or adverse events. Target tacrolimus trough levels were more rapidly achieved in the LCPT group. Following initial dose, 36.6% of patients in the LCPT group had rapidly attained trough levels within 6–11 ng/mL versus 18.5% of tacrolimus twice‐daily patients; majority of tacrolimus twice‐daily patients (74.7%) had troughs <6 ng/mL compared with 33.5% in the LCPT group. Overall, cumulative study dose was 14% lower for LCPT. Results suggest that use of once‐daily LCPT in de novo kidney transplantation is efficacious and safe. Lower LCPT dose reflects the improved absorption provided by the novel formulation.

There is increasing interest in tacrolimus‐minimization regimens. ASSET was an open‐label, randomized, 12‐month study of everolimus plus tacrolimus in de‐novo renal‐transplant recipients. Everolimus trough targets were 3–8 ng/ml throughout the study. Tacrolimus trough targets were 4–7 ng/ml during the first 3 months and 1.5–3 ng/ml (n = 107) or 4–7 ng/ml (n = 117) from Month 4. All patients received basiliximab induction and corticosteroids. The primary objective was to demonstrate superior estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; MDRD‐4) at Month 12 in the tacrolimus 1.5–3 ng/ml versus the 4–7 ng/ml group. Secondary endpoints included incidence of biopsy‐proven acute rejection (BPAR; Months 4–12) and serious adverse events (SAEs; Months 0–12). Statistical significance was not achieved for the primary endpoint (mean eGFR: 57.1 vs. 51.7 ml/min/1.73 m²), potentially due to overlapping of achieved tacrolimus exposure levels (Month 12 mean ± SD, tacrolimus 1.5–3 ng/ml: 3.4 ± 1.4; tacrolimus 4–7 ng/ml: 5.5 ± 2.0 ng/ml). BPAR (months 4–12) and SAE rates were comparable between groups (2.7% vs. 1.1% and 58.7% vs. 51.3%; respectively). Everolimus‐facilitated tacrolimus minimization, to levels lower than previously investigated, achieved good renal function, low BPAR and graft‐loss rates, and an acceptable safety profile in renal transplantation over 12 months although statistically superior renal function of the 1.5–3 ng/ml tacrolimus group was not achieved. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00369161) is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov.

1-year data from this trial showed the noninferiority of a novel once-daily extended-release tacrolimus (LCPT; Envarsus XR) to immediate-release tacrolimus (IR-Tac) twice daily after kidney transplantation. Final 24-month analysis of a 2-armed, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, multicenter, phase 3 trial. 543 de novo kidney recipients randomly assigned to LCPT (n = 268) or IR-Tac (n = 275); 507 (93.4%) completed the 24-month study. LCPT tablets once daily at 0.17 mg/kg/d or IR-Tac twice daily at 0.1 mg/kg/d; subsequent doses were adjusted to maintain target trough ranges (first 30 days, 6-11 ng/mL; thereafter, 4-11 ng/mL). The intervention was 24 months; the study was double blinded for the entirety. Treatment failure (death, transplant failure, biopsy-proven acute rejection, or loss to follow up) within 24 months. Safety end points included adverse events, serious adverse events, new-onset diabetes, kidney function, opportunistic infections, and malignancies. Pharmacokinetic measures included total daily dose (TDD) of study drugs and tacrolimus trough levels. 24-month treatment failure was LCPT, 23.1%; IR-Tac, 27.3% (treatment difference, −4.14% [95% CI, −11.38% to +3.17%], well below the +10% noninferiority criterion defined for the primary 12-month end point). Subgroup analyses showed fewer treatment failures for LCPT versus IR-Tac among black, older, and female recipients. Safety was similar between groups. From month 1, TDD was lower for LCPT; the difference increased over time. At month 24, mean TDD for LCPT was 24% lower than for the IR-Tac group (P < 0.001), but troughs were similar (means at 24 months: LCPT, 5.47 ± 0.17 ng/mL; IR-Tac, 5.8 ± 0.30 ng/mL; P = 0.4). Trial participant eligibility criteria may limit the generalizability of results to the global population of de novo kidney transplant recipients. Results suggest that once-daily LCPT in de novo kidney transplantation has comparable efficacy and safety profile to that of IR-Tac. Lower TDD reflects LCPT’s improved bioavailability and absorption.

Phase III noninferiority trial examining efficacy and safety of converting stable renal transplant recipients from twice‐daily tacrolimus to a novel extended‐release once‐daily tacrolimus formulation (LCPT) with a controlled agglomeration technology. Controls maintained tacrolimus twice daily. The primary efficacy endpoint was proportion of patients with efficacy failures (death, graft failure, locally read biopsy‐proven acute rejection [BPAR], or loss to follow‐up) within 12 months. Starting LCPT dose was 30% lower (15% for blacks) than preconversion tacrolimus dose; target trough levels were 4–15 ng/mL. A total of 326 patients were randomized; the mITT population (n = 162 each group) was similar demographically in the two groups. Mean daily dose of LCPT was significantly (p < 0.0001) lower than preconversion tacrolimus dose at each visit; mean trough levels between groups were similar. There were four efficacy failures in each group; safety outcomes were similar between groups. Frequency of premature study drug discontinuation was LCPT: 12% versus tacrolimus twice daily: 5% (p = 0.028). LCPT demonstrated noninferiority to tacrolimus twice daily in efficacy failure rates. LCPT may offer a safe and effective alternative for converting patients to a once‐daily formulation. Compared to currently available tacrolimus formulation, LCPT requires lower doses to achieve target trough levels.

Sarcopenia is a condition of multifaceted etiology arising in many elderly people. In patients with chronic kidney, the loss of muscle mass is much more intensive and the first signs of sarcopenia are observed in younger patients than it is expected. It is associated with the whole-body protein-energy deficiency called protein-energy wasting (PEW). It seems to be one of the major factors limiting patient's autonomy as well as decreasing the quality of life. If it cannot be treated with the simple methods requiring some knowledge and devotion, we will fail to save patients who die due to cardiovascular disease and infection, despite proper conduction of renal replacement therapy. Many factors influencing the risk of sarcopenia development have been evaluated in number of studies. Many studies also were conducted to assess the efficacy of different therapeutic strategies (diet, physical activity, hormones). Nevertheless, there is still no consensus on treatment the patients with PEW. Therefore, in the paper we present the reasons and pathophysiology of sarcopenia as an important element of protein energy wasting (PEW) in elderly patients suffering from chronic kidney disease. We also analyze possible options for treatment according to up-to-date knowledge.