The new Recommendations for Use of Maintenance Immunosuppression in Solid Organ Transplantation have been endorsed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Transplantation, and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation.
Uninterrupted access to immunosuppression is paramount to minimize rejection and maintain organ and patient survival. However, lack of a standardized approach to maintenance immunosuppression management results in significant heterogeneity in patient care plans and limited access to necessary medications. A multidisciplinary panel of American transplant clinicians led by clinical pharmacists Joelle Nelson and Maya Campara reviewed the published literature to formulate consensus recommendations for the use of maintenance immunosuppression in specific organ groups. All twelve of the authors are members of the American Society of Transplantation.
Reviewed and endorsed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, the American Society of Transplantation, and the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, these consensus recommendations are intended to provide transplant clinicians with a summary of the literature on maintenance immunosuppression in the modern era and to support transplant team members working to secure medication access for patients. The consensus recommendations and executive summary are published open access in the August 2022 issue of Pharmacotherapy, an official journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.
Pharmacotherapy editor-in-chief, Dr. C. Lindsay DeVane, commented:
The path to prolonging life with transplantation of a solid organ involves many components, including cultural acceptance, donor availability, organ preservation, surgical technique, recipient compatibility, and postoperative care. The latter involves suppressing the host’s natural defenses for combating threats and injury. As noted in the consensus recommendations, lifelong maintenance immunosuppression is currently a universal need for organ recipients. The editors of Pharmacotherapy encourage adoption of these recommendations endorsed by international transplant associations for sustaining a successful transplant.
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About PPI:
Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc. (PPI) is the corporate journal-publishing unit affiliated with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP). PPI publishes two official ACCP journals, Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacotherapy. https://accpjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
About ACCP:
ACCP is a professional and scientific society that provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources enabling clinical pharmacists to achieve excellence in practice, research, and education. The College serves as the professional home for more than 17,000 clinical pharmacy practitioners, scientists, educators, administrators, students, residents, and fellows from more than 60 countries who are committed to excellence in clinical pharmacy. www.accp.com
Contact Information:
Keri A. Sims, Pharm.D., BCPS