Inefficiency Rates of Biological Immunosuppressive Induction Agents Used in Organ Transplantation: A Pharmacovigilance Study

Abstract

Effective immunosuppressant pharmacotherapy is essential for successful organ transplantation. Background/Objectives: Generally, induction therapy includes basiliximab (BAS) or anti-thymocyte globulin (THY). However, other biological molecules have been used to accelerate firm immunosuppression. A reduced effectiveness of these induction agents increases the risk of graft rejection. This study aims to evaluate the ineffectiveness rate of biological molecules based on spontaneous reports uploaded to the EudraVigilance database. Methods: Specific topics related to the safety profiles of alemtuzumab, BAS, belatacept, and THY were analyzed. A total of 23 preferred terms describing drug resistance, drug ineffectiveness, and transplant rejection were used as the inclusion criteria. Descriptive and disproportionality analyses were performed. Results: Regarding the four molecules, 18,564 safety reports were communicated, with n = 5089 (27.4%) for THY and n = 3469 (18.7%) for BAS. Most adverse drug reactions (ADRs) for THY, BAS, and belatacept affected the adult male population. As expected, the majority of the ADRs were linked to infections, followed by general disorders. BAS presented higher probabilities of drug resistance and transplant rejection being reported among the four molecules. A higher probability of reporting drug ineffectiveness was noted for THY than for the other molecules. Conclusions: All the molecules showed small frequencies regarding resistance. As expected, transplant rejection was more frequently reported for all molecules (especially for BAS), accompanied by a notable variability in reporting frequencies. However, a causal relationship between the reported adverse reactions and drug efficacy cannot be established based on the present results. Further real-world evidence studies will enhance our understanding of the safety and efficacy of these drugs in transplant patients.