DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
Prograf injection (tacrolimus injection)
For IV Infusion Only
NOTE: Anaphylactic reactions have occurred with injectables containing castor oil derivatives. See WARNINGS.
In patients unable to take oral Prograf capsules, therapy may be initiated with Prograf injection. The initial dose of Prograf should be administered no sooner than 6 hours after transplantation. The recommended starting dose of Prograf injection is 0.01 mg/kg/day (heart) or 0.03-0.05 mg/kg/day (liver, kidney) as a continuous IV infusion. Adult patients should receive doses at the lower end of the dosing range. Concomitant adrenal corticosteroid therapy is recommended early post-transplantation. Continuous IV infusion of Prograf injection should be continued only until the patient can tolerate oral administration of Prograf capsules.
Preparation for Administration/Stability
Prograf injection must be diluted with 0.9% Sodium Chloride Injection or 5% Dextrose Injection to a concentration between 0.004 mg/mL and 0.02 mg/mL prior to use. Diluted infusion solution should be stored in glass or polyethylene containers and should be discarded after 24 hours. The diluted infusion solution should not be stored in a PVC container due to decreased stability and the potential for extraction of phthalates. In situations where more dilute solutions are utilized (e.g., pediatric dosing, etc.), PVC-free tubing should likewise be used to minimize the potential for significant drug adsorption onto the tubing. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. Due to the chemical instability of tacrolimus in alkaline media, Prograf injection should not be mixed or co-infused with solutions of pH 9 or greater (e.g., ganciclovir or acyclovir).
Prograf capsules (tacrolimus capsules)
Summary of Initial Oral Dosage Recommendations and Typical Whole Blood Trough Concentrations | Patient Population |
Recommended Initial
Oral Dose Note: two divided doses, q12h | Typical Whole Blood Trough Concentrations |
| | |
| Adult kidney transplant patients | 0.2 mg/kg/day |
month 1-3: 7-20 ng/mL
month 4-12: 5-15 ng/mL |
| | |
| Adult liver transplant patients | 0.10-0.15 mg/kg/day | month 1-12: 5-20 ng/mL |
| | |
| Pediatric liver transplant patients | 0.15-0.20 mg/kg/day | month 1-12: 5-20 ng/mL |
| | |
| Adult heart transplant patients | 0.075 mg/kg/day |
month 1-3: 10-20 ng/mL
month ≥4: 5-15 ng/mL |
Liver Transplantation
It is recommended that patients initiate oral therapy with Prograf capsules if possible. If IV therapy is necessary, conversion from IV to oral Prograf is recommended as soon as oral therapy can be tolerated. This usually occurs within 2-3 days. The initial dose of Prograf should be administered no sooner than 6 hours after transplantation. In a patient receiving an IV infusion, the first dose of oral therapy should be given 8-12 hours after discontinuing the IV infusion. The recommended starting oral dose of Prograf capsules is 0.10 to 0.15 mg/kg/day administered in two divided daily doses every 12 hours. Co-administered grapefruit juice has been reported to increase tacrolimus blood trough concentrations in liver transplant patients. (See Drugs that May Alter Tacrolimus Concentrations).
Dosing should be titrated based on clinical assessments of rejection and tolerability. Lower Prograf dosages may be sufficient as maintenance therapy. Adjunct therapy with adrenal corticosteroids is recommended early post-transplant.
Dosage and typical tacrolimus whole blood trough concentrations are shown in the table above; blood concentration details are described in Blood Concentration Monitoring: Liver Transplantation below.
Kidney Transplantation
The recommended starting oral dose of Prograf is 0.2 mg/kg/day administered every 12 hours in two divided doses. The initial dose of Prograf may be administered within 24 hours of transplantation, but should be delayed until renal function has recovered (as indicated for example by a serum creatinine ≤ 4 mg/dL). Black patients may require higher doses to achieve comparable blood concentrations. Dosage and typical tacrolimus whole blood trough concentrations are shown in the table above; blood concentration details are described in Blood Concentration Monitoring: Kidney Transplantation below.
The data in kidney transplant patients indicate that the Black patients required a higher dose to attain comparable trough concentrations compared to Caucasian patients.
| Time After Transplant |
Caucasian
n=114
|
Black
n=56 |
|
Dose
(mg/kg) |
Trough Concentrations
(ng/mL) |
Dose
(mg/kg) | Trough Concentrations (ng/mL) |
| | | | |
| Day 7 | 0.18 | 12.0 | 0.23 | 10.9 |
| | | | |
| Month 1 | 0.17 | 12.8 | 0.26 | 12.9 |
| | | | |
| Month 6 | 0.14 | 11.8 | 0.24 | 11.5 |
| | | | |
| Month 12 | 0.13 | 10.1 | 0.19 | 11.0 |
Heart Transplantation
The recommended starting oral dose of Prograf is 0.075 mg/kg/day administered every 12 hours in two divided doses. If possible, initiating oral therapy with Prograf capsules is recommended. If IV therapy is necessary, conversion from IV to oral Prograf is recommended as soon as oral therapy can be tolerated. This usually occurs within 2-3 days. The initial dose of Prograf should be administered no sooner than 6 hours after transplantation. In a patient receiving an IV infusion, the first dose of oral therapy should be given 8-12 hours after discontinuing the IV infusion.
Dosing should be titrated based on clinical assessments of rejection and tolerability. Lower Prograf dosages may be sufficient as maintenance therapy. Adjunct therapy with adrenal corticosteroids is recommended early post transplant.
Dosage and typical tacrolimus whole blood trough concentrations are shown in the table above; blood concentration details are described in Blood Concentration Monitoring: Heart Transplantation below.
Pediatric Patients
Pediatric liver transplantation patients without pre-existing renal or hepatic dysfunction have required and tolerated higher doses than adults to achieve similar blood concentrations. Therefore, it is recommended that therapy be initiated in pediatric patients at a starting IV dose of 0.03-0.05 mg/kg/day and a starting oral dose of 0.15-0.20 mg/kg/day. Dose adjustments may be required. Experience in pediatric kidney and heart transplantation patients is limited.
Patients with Hepatic or Renal Dysfunction
Due to the reduced clearance and prolonged half-life, patients with severe hepatic impairment (Pugh ≥ 10) may require lower doses of Prograf. Close monitoring of blood concentrations is warranted.
Due to the potential for nephrotoxicity, patients with renal or hepatic impairment should receive doses at the lowest value of the recommended IV and oral dosing ranges. Further reductions in dose below these ranges may be required. Prograf therapy usually should be delayed up to 48 hours or longer in patients with post-operative oliguria.
Conversion from One Immunosuppressive Regimen to Another
Prograf should not be used simultaneously with cyclosporine. Prograf or cyclosporine should be discontinued at least 24 hours before initiating the other. In the presence of elevated Prograf or cyclosporine concentrations, dosing with the other drug usually should be further delayed.
Blood Concentration Monitoring
Monitoring of tacrolimus blood concentrations in conjunction with other laboratory and clinical parameters is considered an essential aid to patient management for the evaluation of rejection, toxicity, dose adjustments and compliance. Factors influencing frequency of monitoring include but are not limited to hepatic or renal dysfunction, the addition or discontinuation of potentially interacting drugs and the posttransplant time. Blood concentration monitoring is not a replacement for renal and liver function monitoring and tissue biopsies.
Two methods have been used for the assay of tacrolimus, a microparticle enzyme immunoassay (MEIA) and ELISA. Both methods have the same monoclonal antibody for tacrolimus. Comparison of the concentrations in published literature to patient concentrations using the current assays must be made with detailed knowledge of the assay methods and biological matrices employed. Whole blood is the matrix of choice and specimens should be collected into tubes containing ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) anti-coagulant. Heparin anti-coagulation is not recommended because of the tendency to form clots on storage. Samples which are not analyzed immediately should be stored at room temperature or in a refrigerator and assayed within 7 days; if samples are to be kept longer they should be deep frozen at -20° C for up to 12 months.
Liver Transplantation
Although there is a lack of direct correlation between tacrolimus concentrations and drug efficacy, data from Phase II and III studies of liver transplant patients have shown an increasing incidence of adverse events with increasing trough blood concentrations. Most patients are stable when trough whole blood concentrations are maintained between 5 to 20 ng/mL. Long-term post-transplant patients often are maintained at the low end of this target range.
Data from the U.S. clinical trial show that tacrolimus whole blood concentrations, as measured by ELISA, were most variable during the first week post-transplantation. After this early period, the median trough blood concentrations, measured at intervals from the second week to one year post-transplantation, ranged from 9.8 ng/mL to 19.4 ng/mL.
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, 1995, Volume 17, Number 6 contains a consensus document and several position papers regarding the therapeutic monitoring of tacrolimus from the 1995 International Consensus Conference on Immunosuppressive Drugs. Refer to these manuscripts for further discussions of tacrolimus monitoring.
Kidney Transplantation
Data from the Phase 3 study indicate that trough concentrations of tacrolimus in whole blood, as measured by IMx® were most variable during the first week of dosing. During the first three months, 80% of the patients maintained trough concentrations between 7-20 ng/mL, and then between 5-15 ng/mL, through 1 year.
The relative risk of toxicity is increased with higher trough concentrations. Therefore, monitoring of whole blood trough concentrations is recommended to assist in the clinical evaluation of toxicity.
Heart Transplantation
Data from a European Phase 3 study indicate that trough concentrations of tacrolimus in whole blood, as measured by IMx® were most variable during the first week of dosing. From 1 week to 3 months post transplant, approximately 80% of patients maintained trough concentrations between 8-20 ng/mL and, from 3 months through 18 months post transplant, approximately 80% of patients maintained trough concentrations between 6-18 ng/mL.
The relative risk of toxicity; for example, nephrotoxicity and post-transplant diabetes mellitus, is increased with higher trough concentrations. Therefore, monitoring of whole blood trough concentrations is recommended to assist in the clinical evaluation of toxicity.
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