Everolimus has proven efficacy for prevention of rejection in adult de novo renal and cardiac transplant recipient in combination with ciclosporine and corticosteroids. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) with target trough concentration (C0) value from 3 to 8 μg/L has been proposed. Through a systematic review of the literature, this work explored a level of recommendation for this TDM. Everolimus exhibits both wide interindividual pharmacokinetic variability and poor relationship between dose and exposure. A good relationship has been reported between C0 values and global exposure to the drug (i.e. AUC). Although C0 > 3 μg/L has been associated with a decreased incidence of rejection, the upper limit of 8 μg/L has never been formally validated. No clinical trial testing other exposure indices or comparing efficacy and/or toxicity of everolimus therapy with and without TDM has been published so far. Consequently the level of recommendation for everolimus monitoring is "recommended".
Keywords: everolimus; level of evidence; monitoring; niveau de preuve; suivi thérapeutique et pharmacologique; therapeutic drug; évérolimus.
Copyright © 2011 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique. Publié par Elsevier Masson SAS.